Until the chain breaks
by IceK04
Summary: Together with the cherry blossoms Mary Poppins snows straight through the front door back into the Banks family house. And she'll leave again when the chain breaks - For ever is what she hopes. Much has changed in the Banks family and they won't be able to hide it from Mary Poppins, of that she's certain. Based on Disney's and Rob Marshall's movie MARY POPPINS RETURNS
1. Everything's different

**A/N: Hi, out there:)**

**So After watching Mary Poppins Returns for the 5th time or something like that, I've decided to write a fanfiction about it.**

**I've started it in german (I'm german native) and now write it in english again, so if you spot a mistake, tell me.**

**I'm here to learn, after all...**

**Anyways...**

**There won't be any Mary-Bert in here but Jack-Jane shall be mentioned:)**

**I hope you'll enjoy the story.**

**C u**

**IceK**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything...sadly.**

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**Chapter ONE**

**Everything's different**

It was a wonderful day in May.

The birds sang the known melodies, so loud that every word remained unheard and got carried away from the mild breeze that blew through the Cherry Tree Lane.

Petals rained onto the street and covered the wide sidewalk.

Everything was just like it always was.

And yet, everything was different.

It just wasn't to be seen, not at first sight.

Four years had passed since half of London had danced through the air with the most beautiful balloons in their hands.

Four years since the wind had been in the east and four years that had been needed for the Banks family to break.

"Sir!", it sounded through the stairway, "Sir!"

"Yes, Ellen?", Michael asked and stuck his head out of his office's door.

The housekeeper stood on the landing and had her hands on her hips.

"How exactly am I supposed to do the laundry when there's no hard soap to wash?"

Michael grimaced, "No hard soap? That's not possible! I went to the grocer's last week and-"

"Well, I told you before, Sir.", Ellen said, "Your daughter wants the laundry to be done every second day. Not just on Wednesday and Sunday."

Michael's eyes widened, "Every second day?! And who's supposed to pay for all the water?!"

"And for my overtime.", Ellen murmured.

"Well..", she shouted upstairs, "Then the laundry must be done another day but today."

In the same moment the next door was opened and Annabel stormed out.

"No way!", she shouted and ran down the stairs in a hurry.

In front of Ellen she shuddered to a halt.

"You _must_ do the laundry, Ellen!", she said and raised a finger, "You _must_ do it!"

"Annabel!", Michael scolded, "Watch your language, young lady!"

But his daughter didn't listen to him.

"I _must_ do _nothing_.", Ellen said calmly and turned around.

But Annabel didn't draw back.

"Ellen", she said in a begging voice, "I need my good dress to wear it in school tomorrow."

"Oh, really?", Ellen pointedly replied, "And why, pray tell, must a perfectly clean dress be washed again for school? You have to wear your uniform anyways."

Annabel crossed her arms in front of her chest, "But I'm going to go for a walk in the park tomorrow. That's what I need the dress for. Recently. Washed."

Another door opened and John stepped out.

"It's not the school that matters to her. It's about A-"

"John!", Annabel shouted and climbed up the stairs with fast steps.

"I told you not to say anything!"

Michael frowned, "What isn't he supposed to say?"

Annabel spun on her heels and stared at her father in anger, "That's none of your business!"

"Annabel!"

The girl snorted scornfully.

"Why?", she shouted, "It's true! It's nobody's business!"

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"Jack?", it echoed through the small hallway, "Jack, are you still here?"

"Yes, but on the threshold.", was the answer.

Followed by the sound of heels on the parquet flooring, Jane Banks hurried down the hallway and skidded to a halt in the cloakroom.

"You're getting better and better at this.", Jack grinned and pulled her into a quick kiss.

"Ah-ah-ah!", she said and slipped into her coat, " I'm going with you. We have a meeting for the next rally."

She gently pushed Jack out of their apartment and pulled the door close.

Jack's bicycle stood in the courtyard of the small house between the water butts, so the two of them had to squeeze their way through the narrow gate to get it.

"Are you going to sit in the back?", Jack asked when the gate had closed itself behind them.

Jane shook her head, "Not today. Today-ah!"

A strong gust of wind had opened the gate again and it banged against Jane's heels, so hard that the young woman stumbled forwards and nearly crushed Jack and the bicycle on the floor.

The lamplighter could catch her before.

"Are you alright?", he asked when she had steadied herself on his shoulder.

Jane nodded.

Then she turned around and eyed the gate with a tilted head.

"What...?"

Another gust of wind blew through the street and pulled Jack's hat with it.

"Crab!", he bursted out and let his bicycle fall next to Jane in the grass.

Then he hurried after his hat.

And because Jane didn't have anything else to do, she followed Jack down the street, where his hat had got catched by the branch of a small shrub.

Out of breath, she shuddered to a halt next to him.

"Quite the morning, isn't it?", she laughed and stroked through Jack's hair.

Then they looked up the street.

"There were no such winds to be for today.", Jane said quietly.

She looked up to Jack and squeezed his hand.

He smiled, " That can only mean one thing."

They both took a deep breath.

"Wind's changed."

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"Is my meal too out-a-line for Madame?", Ellen asked cooly and tried to lay down her cutlery_ gently_.

Every eye was on Annabel.

The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest and pointed her lips.

"I just wanted to say that I've had better."

Ellen's eyes widened, "You have? Well, if Madame thinks she could easily go _without_ my cooking, I from now on shall only cook for four."

Annabel jumped up.

"Try me!", she shouted and pushed back her chair with such power that it tapped over and fell onto the floor with a loud crash, "It doesn't matter to me anyways!"

And she stormed out of the dining room into the hallway and up the stairs.

"Annabel!"

Michael looked around and sighed.

"Excuse me for a moment, will you?", he said and stood up.

Then he disappeared through the door.

"Annabel!", he shouted as he followed his daughter upstairs.

The door to her room was closed.

"Annabel!", he knocked against the door, "Annabel, open that door, right now!"

There was no answer.

"Annabel, this instant!"

His knocking had become banging.

And when the door was opened by all sudden, he nearly stumbled into the room.

"What is it?!", stressed the girl, "Can't you just let me be for_ one_ second?!"

Michael grimaced, "Go and say sorry to Ellen."

Annabel crossed her arms, "Why should I? You yourself always tell us not to lie."

Michael's hand almost slipped.

He breathed in and out heavily.

"If this is going to go on like this, Annabel, then-"

His daughter dauert es nicht past him and ran downstairs again.

She slipped into her coat and tied her boots up.

"Ellen!", she shouted out loud, "The laundry!"

Ellen snorted.

"Annabel, I told you to-"

"I do not care what you told men father!", shouted the girl angrily and threw her hair in her neck, just like the girls in her class always did, and opened the door.

"I'm do-"

When she turned around, her mouth fell open.

Everything was just like it always was.

And yet everything was different.

And it was enough to look once.

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_Because I knew you, I have been changed for good._

_~ For Good, WICKED, **Elphaba Thropp **and **Glinda Upland**_


	2. Sooner or later

**A/N: So...The second chapter:)**

**Review from time to time, maybe send me your favourite lines or something like that?**

**Phantom Actress: Hehe here's the next chptr...and Georgie is 10 and the twins are both 12 but almost 13. Thank you soo much for your comment.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mary Poppins (nor MaryPoppins Returns)**

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**Chapter TWO**

**Sooner or later**

"A departure only leaves an impression if it is completed. So I would suggest you finish whatever you just started and then we shall get back to the reason for my return."

Annabel blinked in confusion.

She opened her mouth just to close it again without only one word passing her lips.

Mary Poppins rolled with her eyes, "The moment is gone _now_, there's nothing to save anymore."

"B-b-but...", Annabel started, clearly speechless.

Mary Poppins blinked.

For her, it had the same meaning as a frowning. Just that she would never ever in her life frown. It just didn't look overly ladylike.

"I thought you would've stopped all that stuttering, Annabel.", she said and gently pushed the girl out of her way with one hand.

Then she passed the threshold and pulled Annabel with her.

The door closed behind them and with a small breeze some cherry blossoms were blown into the hallway.

"Y-you...", Annabel looked at Mary Poppins with wide eyes and swallowed heavily, "You are back?!"

The nanny nodded.

"Some people prone to say the obvious, even when the whole world already knows.", she said and placed her grand carpetbag on the landing.

She turned around to face Annabel, "Can you believe that?"

Annabel could only stare at her wide-eyed.

Her look nearly pierced into Mary Poppins' back as the nanny took off we gloves and put them next to her hat on the bench.

"It's chaos at the Banks' house.", she said.

Annabel crossed her arms, "There's no chaos at all!"

Mary Poppins only blinked her eyes restrained and bent down to her bag.

In this moment the dining room door was opened and Ellen stepped out.

"Ah.", she said when she discovered Annabel, "Does Madame now also supervise wether the laundry is done?!"

She walked straight past Annabel and grabbed the laundry basket from its place under the bench.

Her look gazed over Mary Poppins' hat and gloves and for a moment she frowned and stroked over her nose.

"I could swear those didn't lay here before dinner.", she mumbled and reached out for the hat.

But before she could even get it, another hand leapt forward and ripped it off right in front of her nose.

"That would be mine."

Ellen's eyes went wide, "Mary Poppins!"

The nanny nodded, "And _that_ would be me."

Ellen shook her head in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Mary Poppins' look gazed over Annabel briefly, then she looked into the housekeeper's face again.

"I restore order.", she then said simply and put her hat and gloves to her carpetbag.

She didn't put away her umbrella, though, quite the opposite, actually; her grip only tightened around him.

"And where is Michael Banks?", she asked, "I have, by now, neither seen nor heard him."

Ellen looked at Annabel. Then she sighed.

"You should ask that young lady, she'll know.", she said and gently squeezed her way past the girl, the laundry basket tightly under her arm.

"Ellen, the lau-"

"What else could I be up to in the cellar, Annabel?", Ellen interrupted her and disappeared.

Mary Poppins wrinkled her nose almost imperceptibly.

It was something she _never_ did, just when she was really, _really_ angry.

"Your father-", she started but she was interrupted by a loud roister up on the stairs and Michael Banks' head appeared at the banister.

"Annabel?", he shouted, "Is that you? I thought you'd left!"

He made two steps down the stairs, then he stopped and looked at his daughter with a stern gaze.

"You are not going to go to the park tomorrow, understood?", he said, "Your behaviour this morning was absolutely unacceptable and I really can't understand how- What are _you_ doing here?!"

Mary Poppins gave him a small smile, "As I said to Ellen earlier; I restore order."

Michael shook his head in confusion, "The-the order? But, Mary Poppins, everything's perfectly fine."

The nanny only nodded, "Very well then. If you don't need me here, then it would be best for me to leave this instant. I don't want to steel away your time for nothing-"

She grabbed her gloves from the stairs and put the hat on her head. With the umbrella under her arm and the grand carpetbag in her hand, she stepped out off the door.

"No, wait!", Michael bursted out.

Mary Poppins shuddered to a halt with a smile.

Her features softened as she turned around, "Yes?"

Micheal Banks stared at his hands for a second, then he smiled at her, "Please, stay for some time. The last month's were...well, Annabel is a little bit..."

Mary Poppins tilted her head, "Well, well. I shall see what can be done about that."

Michael's face brightened up immediately, "So you'll stay?"

The nanny crossed the threshold with a wide step.

"Of course, I'll stay, Michael.", she said, "I must see how big the chaos is that I am meant to clean up, after all."

With a skilled hand Mary Poppins took off her coat and -for the second time- Her hat and gloves.

"I hope my old room is still all cleaned up.", she said quietly and turned around to face Michael.

Her hands were folded in front of her and she blinked at the head of the household.

"How is Jane?", she asked and something sparkled in her eyes.

Michael breathed out heavily. It sounded like a laugh.

"Oh, Jane!", he pushed himself away from the door and went into the living room.

Mary Poppins followed him.

"She and Jack did move in together a fee years ago.", he told her and offered the woman in front of him a place on the couch.

Mary Poppins declined eith a wave of her hand.

"They're courting but neither married nor engaged. Although Ellen once told Jack, he shouldn't wait too long, a catch like she is, could run past a man only once in his life."

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes.

"A catch.", she said, slightly indignant, "So your sister is a fish now?"

Michael only laughed.

"But Ellen is right.", he said, "And I don't know for how long Jane is okay with all the waiting. But she's good. Very good. Best, you could say."

When he laughed this time, it sounded forced.

Mary Poppins blinked.

The slightest hint of a frown appeared between her brows; something wasn't right about Michael. About the Banks family.

"And she's visiting often, I should think?", Mary Poppins asked and Michael nodded.

"Sure, sure.", he said and quietly added, "As much as she can _arrange_."

Then he smiled at Mary Poppins, "They shall be here on Friday for family tea, Jane and Jack. If you stay 'til then, you shall see here."

Mary Poppins smiled back, "I think I shall be here for more than just _one_ family tea, Michael. The chaos is grand."

She stood up, "I know the way to my room, so I don't need the directions."

She measuredly smoothed out her skirt and straightened her hairdo in the reflection that appeared on the glass picture cover.

"Exactly.", Michael murmured, "The room."

Then he stood up and said in a loud voice, "I'm afraid, there's a little problem about that, Mary Poppins."

"Problem?", answered the nanny and stroked over her blouse, "Well, problems exist to be solved, as I always say."

Michael lowered his gaze, "This one isn't to be solved, I'm afraid."

Mary Poppins blinked, "Und what would be that problem?"

"Your old room now belongs to Annabel."

The nanny stopped stroking her blouse almost immediately, "What did you just say? And where am I supposed to sleep?"

Michael rubbed his hands together nervously, "I'd thought maybe the attic-"

Mary Poppins' eyes widened.

"The attic?!", she said indignantly, "You want me to _sleep_ on the _attic_?!"

She sniffed, "No manners, that boy. No manners _at all_."

Then she took her gloves and her carpetbag from the bench and took a few fast steps up the stairs, "Well, I'm going to talk to Annabel and see what I can do, Micheal."

And with that she was up the stairs and all gone from Michael's sight.

Just shortly she knocked on the door to her old -and apparently Annabel's new- room and entered without waiting for an answer.

"As I think", began Mary Poppins and looked around, "it's not going to be arranged that you're going to sleep in your brother's room for a few days?"

Annabel shook her head.

"It's very rude to not look those in the eyes that talk to you.", the nanny said and closed the door behind her.

Annabel simply rolled her eyes and closed the book in which she had just read, "Sorry."

Mary Poppins let her bag fall to the ground with a dumb crash and took two more steps into the room.

Then she put her hands on her hips, "Annabel, I'm afraid you_must_stay in you brother's room. Otherwise you'd have to sleep on the attic and I'm not sure if you want to sleep between spiders and rats."

Annabel pulled up her knees, "Why can't you sleep on the attic?"

Mary Poppins pursed her lips, "Me? On the attic? Not in a hundred years! Where did you get _that_ idea from?"

For a moment Mary's look lingered on Annabel and we ice-blue eyes pierced into those of the girl, then she clapped in her hands gently.

"Come on, Spit Spot. I do not have the whole day to wait, after all.", she said and opened the door.

Whilst Annabel searched for her stuff and marched out the room with the head held up high, so she was almost as large as Mary Poppins, the look of the nanny never left her.

The door closed with a dump click when Annabel kicked against it.

Then it went silent.

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"We've a visitor.", was the first thing Annabel said after entering the room.

And it was also the last because she let herself, together with all her stuff, fall onto the bed she'd slept in every night a few years ago, and opened her book.

"Who is it?", Georgie asked impatiently.

"And why are you sleeping in our room?", John said right after his brother.

Annabel turned around so her back faced the boys.

John sighed and stood up, "Come on, Georgie, let's have a look at the mysterious visitor."

Non of them had ever stopped with the 'Georgie'.

George Banks just was little Georgie and would always be, even when he'd have his own children.

John opened the door and gently pushed his little brother into the hallway.

"It can't be Jane, she wouldn't have told us. She's often visiting anyways.", Georgie thought out loud when the two boys slowly strolled downstairs, "And it, too, can't be Ellen's sister, Ellen always disappears with her before we can even drop by to say hello."

"Maybe it is Miss Fanny, it would be good for us.", John said and watched how Georgie took the last three stairs at once.

He did that since John could remember. And he'd only slipped once. Now he always grabbed the banister for support.

"Oh yes!", he said with a grin, "Her cookies are _so_ much better than Ellen's."

But when the two of them entered the living room, there was no one to be seen and both, the dining room and the kitchen, were just the same.

"Isn't father already on his way to work?", John said.

Georgie nodded, "Yes, that might be it. He's always gone early on Saturday."

Then he looked around, "But who's our visitor?"

John chuckled slightly, "Maybe it's Mr. Binnacle with some schnapps, who needs a break from Admiral Boom."

"Or it's Arthur who needs to see Annabel to 'borrow' something from her.", Georgie laughed.

"Yes, or it's -Mary Poppins!"

Georgie frowned in confusion, "No, John. Mary Poppins isn't coming back. Father told us, remember? She stays as long as she's needed and then she leaves. For good."

John's eyes had widened.

"Mary Poppins!", he said once again.

Georgie rolled his eyes, "John. She. Is. Not. Coming. Back. You're really hard of hearing, aren't you? It's not as if she would just climb through the window to drop by for afternoon tea, so- Mary Poppins!"

He had turned around and now saw what his brother had discovered seconds ago; Mary Poppins stood on the top step of the stair with her hands folded in front of her chest and her head tilted to one side.

"Oh, stop that staring.", she said and waved with a hand, "It's horrible manners! And Georgie, one never runs up the stairs, it's very- uh!"

Georgie literally jumped into Mary Poppins' arms, so energetic that he almost outlined them.

"Georgie!"

But through the scolding voice Georgie thought to hear a light laugh.

The boy burried his nose in her blouse -he was just big enough to reach her shoulders.

She smelt just like he'd remembered; like cherries and toasted bread.

And like something he couldn't describe.

Gently but sternly, Mary Poppins pulled away from Georgie's embrace and looked at the boy in front of her, "You've grown up."

Georgie grinned, "Yes, I have."

John stepped closer to his former nanny.

He rubbed his hands together just like his father always did when he was nervous, and smiled, "Hello."

Mary Poppins lifted her gaze.

"Hello, John.", she said in a loud voice.

Something sparkled in her eyes when she looked at him.

Then she took Georgie's hand and lead him downstairs again and out into the garden.

John followed them.

Together they sat down at the table that stood on the terrace and the brothers looked at Mary Poppins curiously.

She remained silent, though, and waited until Georgie couldn't take the silence anymore.

When she heard him taking a deep breath, she smiled.

"What are you doing here?", he asked and the words fell out off his mouth as if he'd suppressed them for an eternity.

"Well, I assumed something has changed in the Banks family.", she said and blinked at the two of them, "And I'm right, am I not?"

It wasn't a question. It was a test, a checking if they still knew her.

John shook his head, "No, you're right. Everything is a little bit..."

Georgie nodded in agreement, "Annabel is just somehow..."

They didn't seem to find the right words to describe what they wanted to describe.

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, "Well, of course. Everything is a little bit and Annabel is just somehow."

Georgie and John exchanged a quick glance.

It didn't get past Mary Poppins unnoticed but she didn't mention it again.

Sooner or later they would spit out what they now tried to hide from her, of _that_ she was certain.

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_Sometimes a spell may last past what you can see._

_~ Children Will Listen, Into the Woods, **Meryl Streep**_


	3. Peculiar

**A/N: Hi:)**

**So here's the third chapter...I hope you'll enjoy.**

**Please leave a comment;)**

**C u**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

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**Chapter**** THREE**

**Peculiar**

"Yes."

"Annabel, I already told you yesterday; You're staying at home today."

There was a moment of silence in the Banks family house, in which John and Georgie fled to the stairs and Ellen entrenched herself in the basement staircase.

Mary Poppins looked at the boys with a stern gaze and pointed on the stairs.

'Downstairs.' Her look seemed to say, but John and Georgie shook their heads.

"Never.", John whispered.

"What could wait for you down there, that is so dangerous?", Mary Poppins said.

"I am NEVER staying home!"

The nanny didn't even blink, but Georgie and John staggered backwards and Ellen let the sheets fall to the ground.

"You can't force me to!", Annabel shouted, "I'm going to the park or I'll never return home!"

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes.

"She would never do _that_, it would be for her own disadvantage.", she explained and gently pulled the brother on her collar downstairs.

In the living room, Annabel stamped with her foot like a stubborn child.

Her nose tip was only a few inches from Michael's, "I want to go to the park. All of my friends go there!"

Mary Poppins took John's school bag from the chest of drawers in passing and handed it over to the boy.

"And I would like to have tea with the queen and snow in summer, but you can't always get what you want.", she said and helped Georgie with his jacket.

Then she opened the door and chased the two boys out.

"Ellen? The list.", she said and reached out with her hand demandingly.

"Of course, Mary Poppins.", and a hastily scribbled note was handed to her.

With one foot already on the paved walkway, Mary Poppins turned around once again, "Come along, Annabel. The park might wait for you until tomorrow, but _I _am in a hurry."

She stepped aside and freed the way through the door, "Spit Spot. And don't you dare to dawdle."

Annabel rolled her eyes and went straight through the door, casting a look to her father that made run shivers down his spine.

"Attention, Mr. Binnacle!", it sounded from the admiral's roof, "The Banks children are leaving Cherry Tree Lane Number 17, heading towards school!"

"Where, where?", Mr. Binnacle asked excitedly.

"At quarter to six o'clock."

Two heads appeared over the railing, one white-haired, one brown.

Georgie waved up to both men and saluted to the admiral, "Ahoy, Admiral Boom."

"Ahoy, sailor.", the admiral said and nodded at John, Annabel and Mary Poppins.

"Sailor, Miss?", he said to the children, then he turned towards Mary Poppins, "Ma'am, a wonderful day in Cherry Tree Lane."

Mary Poppins smiled, "To you, too, Admiral."

Then she put a hand onto Georgie's back and gently pushed him forward, "Chin up and head out off the clouds, if you please, and straight forward."

A few steps Georgie let himself be lead by his nanny, then he fastened his steps and hopped along the kerb.

"She is back. She is back. She is-", he sang to himself happily and waved at Miss Lark and Willoughby, "Hello, Miss Lark. Hello, Willoughby."

Miss Lark was a strange woman, as Mary Poppins thought.

Because, unlike herself, Miss Lark wasn't a busy woman and could afford long, aimless walks through the park, during which she dragged her little dog with her in a leash. A dog in a jacket and a bow.

Mary Poppins would have loved to turn up her nose at that sight.

"Hello, Georgie.", Miss Lark smiled.

Georgie knelt down in front of the little dog and gently scratched the dog behind his ears.

Miss Lark looked up, "Hello, John. Hello, Annabel. ...Mary Poppins, how good to see you."

Mary Poppins nodded at the woman, then she turned to Georgie, who still sat on the sidewalk.

"Georgie, I do not think that Ellen has neither the nerves nor the time to take care of ripped trouser legs."

Right at that moment, Georgie jumped up onto his feet and walked off, "Goodbye."

Miss Lark smiled, "Goodbye, you three. Goodbye, Mary Poppins."

Mary Poppins looked after Georgie and shook her head as the boy stopped next to the next passer-by."

"Goodbye.", she said, "Annabel, John?"

The children nodded and went after Mary Poppins, who hurried down the sidewalk and stopped Georgie, right before he could involve the elder gentlemen in the next conversation.

"We don't have time for that, now.", she explained.

They still bent around two corners and passed a narrow alley, then they stood right in the middle of the market place.

It was Thursday -market day- and the place was full of people.

It was loud and from the fish stand a smell blew over to them that pinched in the nose.

Annabel held her nose in disgust, "That's disgusting!"

Mary Poppins gave her a scolding look, "You need both your hands to cushion a fall."

Annabel rolled her eyes and grimaced when she took her fingers from her nose, "You're holding an umbrella. If _you_ stumble, _you_ can't cushion it, too."

Mary Poppins sniffed slightly.

"I am _never_ stumbling.", she explained and straightened her coat collar, "And now; stick to me, don't stroll, don't dawdle."

And with that she went straight into the crowd and disappeared.

You could think that Mary Poppins would have trouble finding her way through the crowd, but quite the opposite; She seemed to glide through it, as if the people would make room for her.

She slipped through every gap that opened up and marched past every group that formed in the crowd, as if doing nothing else all day.

"Mary Poppins.", Georgie shouted and squeezed his way between two men.

When he spotted Mary Poppins' hand, he grabbed it. Behind him, the youngest Banks-son could hear the talking of his elder siblings.

"Yes, Georgie?"

Finally, the boy had managed to squeeze himself next to Mary Poppins, "Mary Poppins, how long are you going to stay?"

When the nanny stopped, it seemed as if everyone on the market place shuddered to a halt.

She slowly turned around and looked at the children with a thoughtful look.

Then she gently sucked in the air and said, "I'll stay until the chain breaks."

Annabel and John exchanged a questioning look and Annabel raised an eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?", she asked, but Mary Poppins didn't answer.

Instead of that, she hurried forwards and was the first to leave the crowd at the other side of the market place.

Behind her the Banks children made their way out.

"Mary Poppins?", John asked, "When _does_ the chain break?"

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes.

"Curiosity -to some extent- is healthy, but too much is also very rude. And the chain breaks when it's time for it to break."

The children would have to be satisfied with that, the nanny decided and gently clapped her hands, "Step along now, Spit Spot."

And she opened the door to the little grocery store on the corner and chased Georgie in.

When John and Annabel wanted to follow their brother, Mary Poppins barred their way with her umbrella.

"You are going to be late for school if you are not going to hurry up, now. You know the way and you're old enough to pass it alone."

Annabel crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Doesn't it is _your_ job to walk us safely to school?"

Mary Poppins bent backwards a small bit and gave Annabel one of her looks.

"What belongs to _my_ job and what doesn't, _I_ still know best, thank you very much!", she said indignantly and disappeared into the store.

"Good job.", John said and pushed his elbow in his twin sister's side, "Now she's angry."

Annabel punched John against the shoulder, "Stop it. She is _not_ angry with us. She's never angry."

John shrugged, "But outraged."

Behind the shop window, Mary Poppins watched how John and Annabel left the store and disappeared around the next corner, then she turned and looked around in the shop.

The store was small and narrow and potato sacks, preserving jars and boxes of vegetables piled up on the shelves.

Behind the counter stood a small, slightly stocky man with chubby cheeks and a red nose. The sparse rest of dark hair on his bold head was hidden under a grey cap.

"Good morning, Mr. Martens.", said Georgie happily and pushed himself up on his elbows to cast a look at the sweet jars that stood on the table.

"Good morning, Georgie.", the man smiled, "Don't you have to be in school today?"

Georgie shook his head with a smile, "The measles have spread through primary school, so I don't have to go."

Mary Poppins turned up her nose, "As if there weren't ways and means to protect children from _measels_."

Just now Mr. Martens seemed to discover the young woman that stood right in the middle of his store, between the shelves.

"Oh, good morning, Ma'am.", he said and gave her a wide grin, "With whom do I have the honour of speaking?"

Mary Poppins opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Georgie before she even got the chance to start.

"This is Mary Poppins, Mister.", he explained excitedly, "Our nanny. We did tell you about her, remember?"

Mary Poppins blinked at the boy indignantly.

"Georgie.", she scolded him, "One doesn't interrupt someone who wants to say something."

Then she turned towards the store owner, who leant back in his chair with a slight chuckle.

"So you are the woman who floated from the sky at the end of a kite's string and who owns an umbrella that talks and has a cousin who's up on the ceiling at every second Wednesday?", he grinned.

Mary Poppins turned to Georgie with an indignant look.

"What are you telling the world about me!", she said and it sounded as if she had been insulted, "My cousins is a very presentable woman and certainly isn't up on the _ceiling_!"

Georgie crossed his arms and gave Mary Poppins a lopsided grin, "And what about turning-turtle?"

The nanny rolled her eyes, "I do not know what you are talking about, Georgie."

She lowered her voice, "My cousin and turning-turtle, I can't believe it."

Georgie pouted his lips, "You used your umbrella as a door-knocker and then you used it to break the lock of the front door.

Mary Poppins' eyes widened, "And why, pray tell, should I break into the house of my own cousin? Georgie, where do you get those ideas from."

At that moment another voice was raised, a new one.

"I can remember _that_."

An eyebrow was raised and _that_ had never been a good sign in Mary Poppins' case.

Slowly, she raises her umbrella and looked at it with a piercing gaze, "Yes?"

Mr. Martens opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Oh yes.", the umbrella said, "My head still hurt _days_ after it."

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, "'fuss, fuss, fuss'. Enough with all of that nonsense."

She kept her umbrella's beak shut and turned around to Mr. Martens.

He stared at her with a wide-opened mouth.

"It's very rude to stare at someone.", Mary Poppins said and put her carpetbag in front of the store owner onto the counter, to cast a look into it.

"Y-your", Mr. Martens stuttered in disbelief, "Your umbrella _talks_."

Mary Poppins gave him a scolding look, "He does?"

Then she looked around and casted a quick glance onto the note, Ellen had written.

"Georgie", she said, "Go and get the loaf of bread and the potatoes, will you?"

"Yes, Mary Poppins."

Mary Poppins smiled, "There's a good boy."

And she turned around and searched for cheese, salad and fruits, well...everything Ellen had written onto the list.

For a short moment the store seemed to be filled with magic. The small of flour and sugar was covered with a whole new scent; toasted bread and a little bit like cherries.

With a click, Mary Poppins closed her carpet bag and smiled at the store owner.

"Mr. Martens?", Georgie asked, "May I have a sweet?"

Mr. Martens nodded. His look didn't left Mary Poppins when he put the sweet jar onto the counter.

Georgie opened the jar in a hurry and reached into it until he had a red candy between his fingers.

When he wanted to get himself another one, Mary Poppins held a hand over the jar and gave him a quick glance, "Far too much is unhealthy, Georgie."

It was something she said often.

With a quick movement she closed the jar and handed it, together with a little money, over the counter.

In some kind of a trance, Mr. Martens put the money into the till and put the jar next to him on the table.

"Goodbye, Mr. Martens.", Georgie said and slipped through the door.

Mary Poppins lingered in front of the counter for a moment and looked at the man thoughtfully.

Then she gently sniffed, "Take a day off and spend some time with your wife and son."

"Where-?"

But Mary Poppins had already tucked her umbrella under her arm and took the large carpetbag into her hand and swept out of the store.

Mr. Martens closed his mouth.

Through the shop window, he watched Georgie and Mary Poppins march away towards the market place.

"What a peculiar woman.", he said quietly before he focused on his crossword puzzle again.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_When the world becomes a fantasy and you're more than you could ever be._

_~ Come Alive, The Greatest Showman, _**_Hugh Jackman_**


	4. Rain

**A/N: Hi there:)**

**I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update this story...**

**But, you see, I always write the chapters in german and then I write them in english again, so it takes time...**

**So in this chapter we'll have a new character joining the story...she's called Wilhelmijn (no further information at thus point;) after 'Wilhelmijn Verkaik' who plaid Elphaba Thropp in Wicked...;)**

**Aaaand last but not least; The poem that's in here is all mine...**

**Thanks a lot for the comments and follows, I'm soooo happy that you seem to like this story:)**

**Laranjones1986: First; I'm sorry that I answer your comment now and not in the last chapter, I simply forgot to do it/ Second; Mixed feelings are ok;) And yes, the children are growing up but you'll see there's a reason for their -especially for Annabel's and Micheal's- behaviour...**

**Third; I don't think you were rude.**

**Thanks for the comment:)**

**ChibiDawn23: She is, isn't she? A total disaster. Thank for the comment:)**

**Guests: Thank you and I will:)**

**catherinethereader: Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mary Poppins or its characters. **

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**Chapter FOUR**

**Rain**

"Who is that next to your brothers, Annabel?"

Annabel quickly turned around and discovered John and Georgie and Mary Poppins at the school gate.

Her face lightened up, immediately, "Oh, that's just Mary Poppins, she once was our nanny."

Eliza pulled her eyebrows together, "And what is she doing here?"

Annabel shrugged and waved at Olive, who just disappeared from the school playground on her bicycle, then she turned to Eliza.

"She is back.", she then explained and squeezed past her friend.

Then she fastened her pace and said, "'til tomorrow, okay?"

She saw how Eliza raised her eyebrows.

"Are you not coming to the park?", she asked.

Annabel shook her head.

She still walked, backwards.

"No, I-"

Just at that moment Annabel crashed against something. Someone.

It was the father of a boy from her class.

"Oh, Mr Olsen, I am so so-"

But Mr Olsen had already started to argue, "A youg lady like you should rather look where she's walking, than talking stupid nonsense across the whole school playground!"

He grabbed Annabel's arm and pulled her harshly with him.

"Who is waiting for you?"

Annabel lowered her gaze and pointed at Mary Poppins, who still stood at the school gate, with trembling fingers.

She saw how the nanny shook her head.

Wether it was a reaction to what was going on in front of her or an answer on one of Georgie's questions, Annabel couldn't be certain of.

Only when Mr Olsen let go off her in front of Mary Poppins, she looked up again.

"Is that your daughter?"

Mary Poppins turned up her nose.

"God heavens, no!", she then said and stared right into Mr Olsen's wrinkled face. Because _that_ he had a wrinkled face could not be denied, not by himself, too.

"I am just the nanny."

Mr Olsen shoved Annabel forwards, so she almost fell onto the kerb and bruised her knees.

"Then start teaching those children some manner, it is your job, after all!", Mr Olsen lashed out.

Next to him, Georgie sucked the air in.

He knew what would come next.

Mary Poppins blinked at the man.

She breathed in sharply, "I do not think a man like _you_ knows the slightest thing about raising children."

She stressed the 'you' in a somehow strange way, as if Mr Olsen was a peculiar kind of men. One that Mary Poppins had made her experiences with before.

Mr Olsen stared at her wide-eyed, "And why would you know about what I know and what I do not know?!"

Mary Poppins sniffed slightly and looked at Mr Olsen with a tilted head.

"Because you haven't looked around for almost two minutes. If you had, you would have seen that your son has already left the school playground with his friends.", she said.

Mr Olsen turned around, "-the hell!"

"I beg your pardon.", Mary Poppins said, "How rude."

Then she let Annabel take her arm and reached out for Georgie.

"John?", she said and -to her confusion- Mr Olsen, too, turned around.

"Yes?", he asked.

Mary Poppins was tempted to frown. She didn't do it, though.

"Not you.", she said sharply, "I don't even know you in the first place."

Then she turned to John, John Banks not John Olsen, how the man seemed to be named.

"Take my hand, if you please.", said Mary Poppins to the boy and when he gently pushed his hand into hers, she smiled at the man in front of her.

"Good day to you, Mr Olsen.", she said whilst turning around, "And do tell your wife that I wish her to get well soon."

And with that, she and the children departed.

"How could you know that Mr Olsen's wife is ill?", Annabel asked with confusion.

Mary Poppins shuddered to a halt and looked at the girl thoughtfully, "Mr Olsen? I don't know anyone who's called Olsen."

Then she stepped along.

After some time Annabel let go of Mary Poppins' arm and fell behind a little bit, so that John, when he freed himself from Mary Poppins' grip, walked right beside her.

"Mr Olsen is Arthur's father, isn't he?", he asked and got answered with an angry look by Annabel.

"Shh.", she said and put a finger to her lips. Then she shook her head, "Mr Olsen is Peter's father, Arthur's last name is Samuels."

John raised an eyebrow, "'Annabel Samuels' doesn't sound all too well, if you ask me."

Annabel grimaced, "Oh, shut your mouth. I didn't ask you for your opinion."

Mary Poppins gave the twins a quick glance.

"Mary Poppins?", Georgie asked and the nanny gently squeezed his hand, "Are Aunt Jane and Jack coming for tea today?"

Mary Poppins nodded, "If they haven't cancelled then they'll be there. I'd be very disappointed by their lack of manners, if it would be any different."

Her heels clattered over the kerb, fast and quietly, so you could think it was a little girl that ran down the sidewalk.

But by no means; Mary Poppins was quite the opposite of a little child that _ran_ down the street.

If anything, she _hurried_. That's how much time there had to be, as Mary Poppins thought, so you wouldn't be stressed even whilst walking.

Of course, you could say that, seeing how fast Mary Poppins walked, she had to be _very_ stressed. But she should only shook her head at that.

Her steps were fast, yes, but never _too_ fast.

The children could keep up with her pace very well.

When Mary Poppins and the Banks children passed the park and didn't turn into the palace avenue that would've led them right to Cherry Tree Lane, Annabel frowned.

"Mary Poppins?", she said and fastened her steps so she walked right next to the nanny, "Mary Poppins, we have to go that way."

Mary Poppins stopped with a jerk, so Georgie almost stumbled into her back.

"No.", the nanny explained with a glance to Annabel, "Not today."

John looked at her with confusion, "But How come that today another way leads us home than yesterday?"

Mary Poppins breathed in heavily, "The way leads where it must lead us, John. And I hope the streets of London haven't started switching while I was away."

Georgie opened his mouth to ask another question but Mary Poppins had already started to walk again and their was nothing to do for the children, than follow her.

Now you could think, Mary Poppins couldn't know her way around London, she wasn't there that often, after all, and London wasn't a small city, and yet she walked straight forward without looking around once.

Soon they reached a part of London the Banks children didn't know.

The streets became dark and small here - you couldn't call them "streets", actually- and Georgie took Mary Poppins' hand rather quickly.

When an elder man crossed their way in a small alley, the boy pressed himself almost panicky against the nanny and tried to avoid touching the man for every cost.

Mary Poppins only rolled her eyes and nodded at the man, friendly.

They had just pass him with two steps when Mary Poppins stopped and turned around to him.

"If you head towards Wilhelmijn's, Ma'am", he said in a husky voice, "Then you're wasting your time. She's ill."

Mary Poppins made a strange noise, very quietly, so only the children could hear. It sounded like a sigh.

"Then we shall hope that we won't catch her illness.", she said and smiled, "Goodbye."

"Good day, Ma'am.", And the man disappeared.

When Mary Poppins started walking again, she felt how someone pulled at her sleeve.

"Yes, Georgie?"

"What are we doing here?"

The nanny didn't give an answer, instead of that she opened the small gate at the end of the alley and pushed the children, one after the other, through it.

Strangely the alley didn't lead to another, smaller alley but right to the middle of a meadow.

And at that meadow it was pouring.

"Rain.", Mary Poppins murmured and opened her umbrella, "I could have known that."

She squeezed Georgie's hand harder and made a few steps onto the meadow.

Then she turned around to John and Annabel, "Do you want to stand there the whole evening? Tightly at my side, if you please."

With that she went straight forward and right through the meadow.

The flowers that grew here sometimes even stroked her waist, so high they had grown.

The children couldn't stop gaping.

And so they didn't see how they went further and further away from the gate at the end of the alley and neared a small house. "Small house" maybe even was a little too much- hut fit quite better.

Bent and crooked it stood between two grande oak trees and smoke curled out off the chimney, trying hard to fight against the raindrops that seemed to push it down.

Mary Poppins lifted a hand and knocked at the hut's door.

A crackling coughing could be heard from its inside, then the dishes fell to the ground.

"Yes?"

Mary Poppins blinked, "Wilhelmijn, do be so kind to not let your guests stand out in the rain for too long."

Suddenly the door was pulled open and a woman stuck out her head.

She had blue eyes, almost as piercing as Mary Poppins' with which she could stare how Mary Poppins surely could've stared if she hadn't been so very well mannered.

"Mary Poppins!"

Mary Poppins nodded, "Good day. As I've heard, you're ill?"

Quickly Wilhelmijn opened the door a little bit more and let Mary Poppins and the Bankses step in.

"Yes, I'm afraid.", she said and pushed the door close. She turned around to go further into the hut, when she stopped once more, "Tea?"

Mary Poppins nodded satisfied, "If you please."

Then she followed the young woman through the small hallway into the salon, where fire crackled in the fire place and soup stood onto the little table in front of the couch.

"Take a seat, take a seat.", Wilhelmijn said and pointed at the couch, "Make yourself at home."

Then she pulled out a red handkerchief and sniffed right into it.

Mary Poppins gave a ladylike cough.

"So what is the matter of your visit, Mary Poppins?", Wilhelmijn asked when she departed from the kitchen with a great teapot in her hands and placed it right in front of the nanny.

"Flowers.", was the answer.

Wilhelmijn frowned, "Flowers?"

Mary Poppins nodded, "Flowers indeed. You have got the very lot of them - If I'm not very much mistaken."

Wilhelmijn lowered her gaze, "Well..."

"The meadow is _yours_?!", Georgie bursted out and she pulled her eyebrows together.

"Of course, it's mine. Whom should it belong to other than me?"

Georgie crossed his arms, "Why doesn't father own a meadow, too? That's not fair."

Mary Poppins blinked slightly, "Not at all. Wilhelmijn's got her flowers and your father's got his paintings."

She turned back to Wilhelmijn, "So? What about the flowers, then?"

"Sure, sure.", Wilhelmijn said and gave all of them a lopsided smile, "Could you read through the poem whilst...?"

Mary Poppins reached out with her red-gloved hand, "My pleasure."

A small blush crept up into Wilhelmijn's cheeks, "Thank you."

She began going through the stack of papers that laid on the table and, with a satisfied smile, she pulled the right one out to hand it over to Mary Poppins.

Then she hurried to the door, "I'll hurry up."

When the door closed, the silence seemed to be terribly awkward.

Mary Poppins looked at the paper in her hand.

"What is Miss Wilhelmijn doing the whole day long?", John asked quietly.

Mary Poppins lifted her gaze, "Wilhelmijn is an author. She writes stories and poes and sometimes books.'

Annabel's eyes rounded.

"Is she Wilhelmijn de Graaf?!", she asked and when Mary Poppins nodded, the girl almost fell off her chair in excitement.

"I'm reading a book she wrote!", she said with a wide smile, "It's called _The fairy tale of white and red_."

Mary Poppins nodded, "A very great lecture, if I may say so. One of the best she's ever written."

With that she again looked at the sheet in her hands.

"_Don't be sad, dear, for I know_

_Even if you miss her so_

_One day you'll forget your vow_

_to don't forget what she taught before_

_and then she's standing in the door_.", Annabel read and frowned.

"That sounds quite familiar, that feeling.", she said with a scolding look at Mary Poppins.

But before Mary Poppins could even open her mouth to say something, the front door opened again and a soaked Wilhelmijn stumbled into the salon.

"That wretched, bloody, damm rain!", she cursed and Mary Poppins' eyes widened.

"Wilhelmijn!", the nanny said indignantly.

"Sorry."

She held a very large flower bucket right under Mary Poppins' nose, "Here you are."

The nanny nodded with satisfaction, " Thank you, dear."

She stood up, "Off we go now, children. Or do you want to miss tea with Jane and Jack?"

Immediately the three children jumped up and hurried into the hallway.

When Mary Poppins stood on the threshold, the umbrella already opened, she turned around once again.

"If you would just smile a little bit more then it would quickly stop raining, Wilhelmijn.", she explained and blinked, " And what I'm still wondering about; the poem, is it about a person I know?"

Something sparkled in Wilhelmijn's eyes.

"I'm thinking of naming it '_The woman with the umbrella_."

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"We're back!", John shouted as he pushed the door open and hurriedly squeezed past Mary Poppins inside the house.

"Do you've got the flowers?", sounded Ellen, who just finished preparing the salon for tea.

"Of course.", said Mary Poppins.

In her hand she carried a huge flower bucket, so big, that only the feather of her hat peeked out over it.

"Ellen, I need a vase."

"Of course, Mary Poppins.", Ellen said and hurried to the shelves.

When Mary Poppins put the flower bucket onto the table, she breathed out slightly.

Then she stepped back and looked at the table critically.

No dishes had gone broken and at every place there was a napkin -only the flowers let their heads fall a little bit; in the end it was nonetheless acceptable.

Mary Poppins nodded in satisfaction, then she turned to the children.

"Off you go and change, Spit Spot."

And while the children disappeared upstairs and Ellen was in the kitchen, preparing the tea, Mary Poppins looked around carefully and snapped her fingers slightly.

For a moment a slight glow filled the room and slowly the flowers raised their heads.

Mary Poppins smiled with satisfaction, "_Much_ better."

At that moment the front door was opened and Michael Banks stumbled into the hallway, the coat buttoned completely wrong and the hat crooked on her head.

"I'm not too late.", he said and shuddered to a halt next to Mary Poppins.

"Not too late.", he said and Mary Poppins rolled her eyes.

"I really thought I wouldn't get here in time.", Michael explained whilst he slipped out off his coat and put the hat onto the shelves, "Just before I left, Mr Lewis entered and wanted to talk to me about the meeting tomorrow afternoon and Mr Lewis is not a man of few words, if I may say so."

Mary Poppins took Michael's coat and put it into the wardrobe.

"Some always think about the 'what ifs" instead of staying in the here and now.", she said simply.

She gave the clock that hang at the wall a quick glance; almost four o'clock.

Jane and Jack should be here in no time.

Upstairs a door opened and one after the other the Banks-children came down the stairs.

And from one moment to the other, Annabel's features hardened and she looked at her father with a cold look.

Mary Poppins _almost_ frowned. What was going on with the girl that she always met her father with such a cold look.

"Are they here?", Georgie asked excitedly and Michael shook his head.

"Thank God, they're not.", Ellen said and placed the teapot on the table, "I haven't changed yet."

Mary Poppins blinked, "Then it's long overdue, Ellen. It's almost four o'clock."

Ellen pouted, "And who's supposed to take the cookies out off the oven?"

The nanny rolled her eyes, "We've plenty of hands to do it, I'd say."

Hesitantly Ellen turned around and disappeared through the door under the stairs that led to her room.

Mary Poppins quickly crossed the room and entered the kitchen and looked through the dirty glass of the oven.

"Georgie, Annabel?", she called, "Come here and help me with the cookies."

Georgie opened the oven and looked into it.

"Are the cookies ready for sure?", he asked and Mary Poppins nodded without looking once.

Annabel held a grand bowl under the oven so the cookies fell right into it as Mary Poppins pushed them from the tray with nippy fingers.

Everyone else would have burned their fingers hardly but not Mary Poppins. She _never_ burned her fingers, that was certain.

"You won't sit on the table with such dirty hands.", she said with a look on Georgie's and Annabel's hands that were covered in soot and flour.

Then she disappeared into the salon with the bowl in her hands.

Right on time, for in just that moment someone knocked at the front door.

"They're here!", Georgie shouted and ran away from the sink so the soap fell to the ground.

"Georgie!", Annabel said indignantly but her little brother was already at the door and opened it.

"Hello, Georgie.", Jane laughed at her nephew and stroked him through his hair.

"Come quick, come.", Georgie said and pulled Jane into the hallway on her sleeve.

She laughed and closed the door behind her and Jack, "What is going on?"

Michael appeared from the kitchen and smiled at his sister, "Jane, how wonderful."

He gently kissed her cheek and shook Jack's hand.

"Why don't we go and sit down?", he offered, "Annabel and Ellen will be here in no time."

Jane frowned at the sight of the table.

Quickly she counted the places, then she turned to her brother, "Michael? There's one place too much."

"Not at all."

Jane whirled around.

A smile laid on her lips when she saw her former nanny standing in the door.

Then she gave Jack a look, "Won."

Jack rolled his eyes.

Then he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out some coins, "Bloody unfair, if you ask me, Jane. You always know when something's strange eith your family."

Jane punched the lamplighter with a child-like grin, "Jack!"

She turned to Mary Poppins, "You're back, why?"

Mary Poppins blinked, "I've been asked that question far too much since my arrival."

Not one word escaped her lips after that.

Together Annabel and Ellen entered the salon.

"Ellen.", Jane smiled warmly when she pulled the housekeeper in an embrace, "How are you?"

Ellen made a waving gesture, "Oh, how should I be, Janie. The back hurts, the hair isn't going to be darker -it's going down with me."

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, "Ellen."

Slowly they all went to the table and sat down.

"Those flowers are wonderful.", Jane said and unfolded her napkin, "Where did you get them from?"

Georgie quickly squeezed past Michael and sat down on the place next to Jane, "We were at Wilhelmijn's. She lives on a meadow at the edge of London."

Michael's eyes widened, "That's how far you went?! Mary Poppins, I don't know if those long walkings are the best idea."

Mary Poppins pouted, "And I don't know what Georgie's imagining again. Wilhelmijn lives not far from the grocer's."

Annabel frowned, "But-"

"No 'but', Annabel.", interrupted the nanny, "Goats butt and children who have their cups filled with afternoon tea do not."

She bent over a bit and poured herself a bit of tea.

"How are you, Jane?", Michael asked his sister.

Jane smiled, "I'm fine, really. Just yesterday we had another rally. There was an article about it in the _Times_, maybe you read it, have you?"

Michael shook his head, "No, I'm afraid not."

"I did.", Ellen said, "And it was such a good one."

For a moment, the room was filled with silence, an uncomfortable silence, as if something was in the air, unspoken.

Then Jack cleared his throat and looked at Jane questioningly.

Mary Poppins blinked, Jane stared at her fingers and Michael rubbed his hands together nervously.

"SPRUCE gets to be in the newspapers more often lately.", Jane forced a laughter and gave her brother a quick side look.

Then she lowered her gaze and mumbled something into her teacup, before she took a sip.

"What?"

Jane flinched.

Michael's scornful voice still hang in the air when she put down her teacup.

"I'm just wondering", Jane stared calmly, "Why I'm even telling you this. You don't care about it, anyways."

Annabel, John and Georgie sank into their chairs a bit more.

"I do not care?!", Michael bursted.

Mary Poppins raised an eyebrow.

Jane folded her napkin and placed it on her plate, "Of course not! You see, Michael, I'm quite sure if it weren't for this friday-afternoon tea, I would never hear from you, _at all_!"

Michael's eyes widened, "_You_ wouldn't hear from _me_?! No, no, no, Jane. _I_ wouldn't hear from _you_!"

Jane laughed in disbelief, "What?!"

"Well, who's stopped dropping by, by all sudden?!", Michael shouted, "Tell me, Jane, when was the last time you had breakfast with us just because you had time after a rally?! When was the last time you suddenly stood at the door just because you wanted to talk?!"

Jane sniffed with anger.

Tears were welling up in her eyes when she shouted in a husky voice, "Because you never said _anything_, Michael!"

Michae shook his head angrily, "You are my elder sister, Jane. It's up to you, _saying_ things!"

Jane jumped up.

She wiped away the tears that had rolled over her cheeks.

"Good point, Michael, I'm your _sister_! I do have my own life! And you could just as well say something to me!"

She took Jack's hand and looked around, "Jack, I want to leave."

Jack nodded, "Goodbye."

Silence was the answer.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_And it reaches to the future and the past, to every moment ever, first or last._

_~ The Moment Explodes, If/Then, **Idina Menzel**_


	5. Swippity-Swop

**A/N: Hello there;)**

**I'm back with chapter 5.**

**I'm**** thinking about eight days as a good time between the updates.**

**That way I have enough time writing it in German _and _English and it's not too long, is it?**

**Well, in this chapter there will again be a new character joining.**

**It's losely based on the character of "Miss Andrews" in the Broadway Musical "Mary Poppins".**

**Again; leave a comment if you're up for it and tell me your favourite lines;)**

**iloveromance: Thank you soooo much! I'm glad my English isn't too bad:)**

**Guest nr1: Thank you for telling me, I wasn't sure about how it's spelled, now I know;)**

**I've changed it in every chapter...I know how annoying a wrong-spelled name can be.**

**Guest nr2: Thank you very much.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mary Poppins nor Mary Poppins Returns nor Mary Poppins - The Broadway Musical nor any of the Mary Poppins books.**

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**Chapter FIVE **

**Swippity-Swop**

"I have some news."

Michael seemed a bit nervous; the way he first rubbed his hands together and then started stroking through his hair.

Ellen and Annabel, John and Georgie and Mary Poppins lifted their heads.

Just a few minutes ago, Ellen had sat down next to Mary Poppins, who helped the children with their math homework. Something that made Ellen get an headache bit Mary Poppins seemed to master with ease. Which was nothing overly surprising; Mary Poppins seemed to master simply _everything_ with ease.

"Why, Michael, why are you home so early?", Ellen asked with surprise.

She was right; it was only half past two and Michael usually wasn't home before five o'clock.

"Well", he started and once again stroked through his hair, "Well, I have to say that I really, totally forgot and that's why I'm home so early and..."

He took a deep breath as if what he was going to say was something unimaginable horrible, "Your great-aunt Barbra is going to stay with us for a few days."

John burried his face in his hands.

"When?", he groaned.

Michael swallowed hard, "Her train arrives this afternoon."

Ellen jumped up.

"What a lucky person I am, that I'll be at my sister's today.", she hurried and quickly picked up her newspapers. Then she gave the clock a small glance.

"I have to change.", she said and -wush- she disappeared.

Mary Poppins blinked.

Michael carefully sat down on his chair.

"And where's she supposed to sleep?", Georgie asked in confusion, "The guest room is your atelier, after all."

John's eyes sparkled with hope, "Is she sleeping in a hotel?"

Michael shook his head.

Then he looked carefully at Mary Poppins, "I had thought that maybe she could sleep in your-"

"Never!", shouted Annabel, John and Georgie in panic.

"The very idea.", said Mary Poppins.

"And where is she supposed to sleep?", Michael asked.

Annabel crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Maybe on the attic?"

"On the attic?", said Michael, "No, no, no, we couldn't possibly do that to her."

Mary Poppins sniffed, "But you would have done it to _me_?"

She sounded truly insulted.

"No, you are..."

Mary Poppins lifted an eyebrow.

"Young.", Michael finished, "And healthy."

Mary Poppins' features softened a little bit.

"And great-aunt Barbra is...well, not young and her bones...", he didn't finish his sentence, everyone knew what he was going to say.

Mary Poppins turned up her nose but didn't raise her voice again.

Michael coughed a little bit, "Well. I- so I think..."

But Mary Poppins suddenly stood up, "Very well, then. If it can't be any different."

Michael breathed out heavily.

"But I demand to have the weekend off.", she said and lowered her gaze so her eyes looked like slits, "The _whole_ weekend."

"Of course.", Michael sighed.

And Mary Poppins smiled in satisfaction and sat down again next to Annabel.

"How long is she going to stay?", Georgie asked quietly.

"Five days."

"Five days?!", John bursted, "God, help us!"

And, the way he looked, they could really need God's help.

Ellen stuck her head through the door, "I have to go now. Michael, dinner is on the cooker, you just have to warm if up. I'm back tomorrow afternoon."

And with that she was out the door.

Mary Poppins crossed her legs and smoothened her skirt, "Annabel? Don't forget your homework, if you please."

With a sigh, Annabel bent over her book again. She really had hoped that Mary Poppins would forget.

Michael sat down next to Mary Poppins and looked over her shoulder at Annabel's exercise book.

"Fractions.", he mumbled, "Well, I wouldn't have been a great help with that anyway."

Annabel rolled her eyes, "I don't _need _your help, Mary Poppins is helping me quite well."

Michael lowered his gaze for a moment before looking at Mary Poppins again.

"Of course.", he said.

He leant back and stared at his folded hands on the table.

Maybe it would be better, he thought, to leave the women alone.

But just when he started to stand up, Mary Poppins cleared her throat, "Annabel, that would be enough for today. After all, we have to prepare for your great-aunt's arrival."

Annabel turned up her nose.

"Whose sister does she is?", the nanny asked by all sudden and turned to Michael.

"Mother's.", he said.

Annabel made quick effort with putting her exercise book into her school bag.

"But they couldn't be more different.", she mumbled and disappeared through the door with quick steps.

Mary Poppins blinked slightly, "She doesn't seem to be an overly liked member of this family, does she?"

Michael snorted amused, "Oh, you don't know what you're talking about."

Mary Poppins turned up her nose slightly, "I _always _know what I'm talking about, thank you."

She gave Michael an offended look, then she sniffed, "Well, I must go to see the children properly dressed."

Then she turned around and disappeared up the stairs.

In her room she searched for her things and put them neatly folded into her large carpet bag.

Then she opened the connecting door to the nursery and stepped through it.

"We're as good as dead.", John said and didn't seem to notice how Mary Poppins stepped in.

"She _hates_ us.", said Georgie.

"No.", Annabel sat up, "She hates _everybody_."

Georgie nodded in agreement.

"Poor Mary Poppins.", he then said.

Mary Poppins sniffed slightly.

"She is going to be ripped in two.", he finished.

"Just think about Irene McIntosh.", John mumbled.

Mary Poppins blinked, "I'm _not_ Irene McIntosh. If I'm not very much mistaken I am still Mary Poppins, right?"

The children turned to her.

"Of course.", John agreed.

"Sure.", Annabel said.

And "How could it be any different?", asked Georgie.

Mary Poppins nodded in satisfaction, "Good, good. Then be so good an change into your best clothes. We want to show your great-aunt your very best behaviour."

"She already knows that.", Annabel said and finished in a selpulrach voice, "And she thinks it's _terrible_."

"Oh, such nonsense.", Mary Poppins put her umbrella and hat on Annabel's bed and hung her coat over the armchairs back rest.

She looked around, her gaze lingered on the empty place under the window for a moment, then she bent over her carpetbag and started delving in it.

"Annabel?", she said when she looked up again, a large, blue flowered blanket in her hands, "Come here and help me, if you please."

With an annoyed glance, the girl stood up and took the blanket on two corners.

Mary Poppins led her to the window.

"Over here.", she said and spread the blanket in the air.

And then something really extraordinary happened. Not that Annabel, John and Georgie haven't been used to it by Mary Poppins, it just impressed them every time.

Because where, just seconds ago, had been just a blanket was now a bed. A real bed, as if it had stood there always and ever.

The children gaped at their nanny.

Mary Poppins stopped when she saw the three of them looking at her and put her hands on her hips, "Well _really_!"

She looked at them with a stern gaze that always made the children a little bit scared but in the end was really just loving, and they lowered their gazes.

"Go change.", said Mary Poppins firmly, "Swippity-swop."

She clapped in her hands slightly and watched with a satisfied look how Annabel, John and Georgie took their best clothes and went, one after one, into the bathroom.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"And what has happened to your house, Michael!", a woman's voice sounded from the garden way, "The plaster is peeling off and the head is much too long! Have you lost your sense of sight?! And Jane?! She's a woman! It's her _task_ to take care of the garden!"

"Great-aunt Barbra, Jane has moved-"

"Don't interrupt!"

Then the front door opened and freed the view.

There she stood; Great-aunt Barbra Fulton in her full and Fulton-er glory.

She weared a high-necked blouse in nude colours that made Michael remember his mother, and a long, black skirt.

On her brown-haired upswept hairstly out of hair and a ton of hair pins sat a little hat with a long, black feather and over her shoulders hung a heavy, black coat.

"Are you not going to welcome me?!", barked great-aunt Barbra and Michael stuck his red head through the door.

In both hands he carried two large, heavy suitcases and panted as if carrying bricks.

Annabel pushed her elbow into John's side and when she and John hesitantly stepped forward, she pulled Georgie eith them.

"Hello, Great-aunt.", Annabel mumbled and immediately found her chin in the power of long, thin clawed fingers, that pushed her head up so she had to look straight into her great-aunt's little, piercing eyes.

"What?", Great-aunt Barbra barked, "I can't understand you if you mumble like that!"

Annabel didn't dare to lower her gaze.

"Hello, Great-aunt.", she said in a firm voice and breathed out heavily when the woman let go of her chin.

"Hello, Great-aunt.", said John and Georgie.

Great-aunt Barbra only frowned, "Are you going to let me stand on the threshold for the time being?!"

"Of course, not.", Michael hurried to say.

He entered the hallway and closed the door.

Then he put down the suitcases with a pant.

"The inside isn't any better, Michael!", Great-aunt Barbra said disapprovingly, "It looks as if you haven't rearranged _once_ since the death of your poor mother. And, I'm afraid to say that, but my sister didn't have a good taste. Neither with decorations nor with men."

Great-aunt Barbra turned to Michael, "Where is this impetuous, clumsy maid to take my coat?! Do you want me to die from heat?!"

Quickly Michael rounded the suitcases and helped his aunt out off her coat, "Of course not. Mary Poppins, kindly lead Great-aunt Barbra into the dining room, would you? I'm back in a minute, I just have to..."

But the sentence remained unfinished when Michael disappeared up the stairs, a heavy suitcase in each hand.

Great-aunt Barbra frowned.

"Mary Poppins?!", she said, "Who's supposed to be _that_?!"

"_I_ am supposed to be that, Ma'am.", Mary Poppins said and stepped from the landing in the hallway.

"And who _are _you?", Great-aunt Barbra demanded to know.

Mary Poppins gave the woman something between a smile and a frown.

"The nanny.", she then explained.

Great-aunt Barbra's eyes widened, "The nanny?! Why do these children still need a nanny?! Ill-bred brats!"

Mary Poppins blinked slightly, "Why don't we go into the dining room, Ma'am? As Michael has said."

She stepped forwards and opened the door to the dining room. Annabel, John and Georgie quickly slipped through it. Georgie stroked over Mary Poppins' hand in the passing and gave her a look that seemed to say 'Save me!'

So when they, one by one, stepped into the dining room, Great-aunt Barbra seemed to have found herself a new complaint.

"'Michael'?", she echoed disbelievingly, "You call your employer by his first name?!"

Mary Poppins nodded and pointed onto the free place in the couch, "I was his nanny when he was still a little boy."

Great-aunt Barbra frowned again, "But that was _years_ ago!"

Mary Poppins didn't answer.

She turned around, "I'll go and get the tea."

Then she disappeared.

Georgie stared onto his fingers that were folded in his lap und tried hard to ignore his great-aunt's look.

For a moment there was a comfortable silence, then the woman said, "Where is Jane?"

Annabel suck in the air sharply. For nothing in the world she wanted to talk to the woman that since time being had always complained about her family.

But she didn't have much of a choice.

"Jane has moved out years ago, Great-aunt."

Great-aunt Barbra pouted, "And she couldn't arrange coming here whilst I'm visiting?! How rude!"

Annabel lowered her gaze, "She's been very busy. Maybe she doesn't even know that you are here.

Again Great-aunt Barbra started to complain but - just at the right moment- Mary Poppins entered the dining room, followed by Michael, and interrupted her.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long.", Michael said and started setting the table with the tea set.

Great-aunt Barbra turned up her nose. She didn't say anything, though, for she was much too focused on watching Mary Poppins pouring tea into the cups and putting a small plate with cookies on the table.

Michael pulled one of the chairs back and offered Great-aunt Barbra the place.

"Long overdue.", she said quietly and pulled one of the teacups to her.

"Sugar?", Michael asked quickly and the woman nodded.

"Six spoons.", she demanded and took two cookies from the plate.

Mary Poppins turned up her nose almost invisibly.

When everyone sat down, she, too, poured herself a cup of tea.

Annabel quickly crammed a cookie into her mouth and whilst she nibbled on the cookie, Great-aunt Barbra sat down her teacup in outrage.

"Which incapable _brat_ has scalded the tea?!"

Michael shut his mouth.

He looked at Mary Poppins, who she there with widened eyes and pouted, as if she was personally insulted.

She didn't say anything, though, she just put her teacup on the saucer and crossed her right leg over the left one with a quick move.

"And who's baked this cookies?!", Great-aunt Barbra demanded to know, "Seems as if you have to explain him the difference between salt and sugar!"

Mary Poppins only blinked.

Then she uttered the halted air and suppressed a sigh.

That woman would cost her all her nerves on only one day, that was sure.

"Mary Loppins, or whatever your name was, make sure that my tea is served _properly_!"

Mary Poppins' eyes widened _even more_.

"Poppins.", she said firmly.

"Your name doesn't matter!", Great-aunt Barbra barked, "Go and get me some new tea, this instant!"

Michael's mouth was opened wide.

His gaze lingered on Mary Poppins, who looked at Great-aunt Barbra with a furious look.

"There's no more tea than this one, Ma'am.", she said simply.

"What?!", the elder woman bursted, "No more tea?!"

Mary Poppins nodded, "I'm afraid but that's how it is."

And she poured herself another cup of tea and took a small sip.

They all knew that she lied.

There was much tea in the box on the top shelve, Annabel, John and Georgie knew, for they had reached into the wrong box when they'd planned to steel some candies just this morning.

And Michael knew because he himself had watched Mary Poppins putting away the full box.

Great-aunt Barbra looked at Michael disapprovingly.

"How...", he began and looked around for help, "How was your journey?"

But Great-aunt Barbra wasn't the kind of a woman you could please in any way.

"It was terrible!", she bursted, "Very terrible! The guard was unbelievably rude and the children in the compartment had worse manners than a stray dog! I _hate _journeys!"

With that she threw her napkin on the table next to her teacup and stood up, "I'll have to rest from it now. Good day."

And she swept out of the room.

Michael sank into his chair in relief.

"Finally."

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Children who want to have a nice breakfast must sleep now.", Mary Poppins had said when Georgie had buttoned up his pyjamas.

Now, a while later, the three of them still were wide awake and watched how Mary Poppins got changed for bed.

For that was something you just had to see, if only once in a lifetime.

In the gloomy twilight of the evening, Mary Poppins took off her apron and put it, neatly folded, into her large carpetbag.

Then she turned off the big light and instead lit up the small one on the window sill, before she undid her shoes and put them next to the bed post.

Mary Poppins bent over her carpetbag and reached into it.

In the twilight the children could barely see how the nanny put on her nightgown and slid under the blanket, quickly.

Without moving a finger, the light on the window sill was turned off and it went completely dark.

With bated breath the children tried to listen to the sound of Mary Poppins breathing. But there was no sound. It was as if the darkness had swallowed her.

Georgie looked at Annabel through the darkness of the night. Even though he couldn't see her, Georgie thought he could feel his sister's gaze lingering on him.

The boy nodded slightly so as not making a noise.

They all agreed;

What Mary Poppins did that _couldn't_ be done the _normal_ way.

It simply couldn't.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter -_ _Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade._

_~ Don't Rain On My Parade, Funny Girl, **Barbra Streisand **_


	6. Charmingly-wonderful

**A/N: Hello, hello:)**

**Here I am with chapter number 6!**

**I actually planned to post it on Wednesday as some kind of a birthday present for you on my birthday -doesn't make any sense, I know- but it wasn't finished yet, so I post it now...**

**Tell me your favourite line and stuff and maybe leave a comment;)**

**ChibiDawn23: Oh, well...you'll see in this chapter:) Thanks for the comment.**

**Phantom Actress: Hell yes, she has, haha;) Thanks for the comment.**

**Laranjones1986: Thank you very much! I'm flattered;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mary Poppins Returns nor its characters and stuff...if I would there would already be a new movie planned;)**

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

**Chapter SIX**

**Charmingly-wonderful**

It was just a matter of time until the next 'surprise' would knock them over like a summer's thunderstorm that came over London on a lukewarm evening.

Ellen had come back the afternoon before and had thrown herself into work to avoid Great-aunt Barbra as good as possible.

Annabel and John were -for the first time in their lives- happy with having school until noon and Georgie was, as soon as he was at home -he still went to primary school. He was two years younger than his siblings, after all- hot on Mary Poppins' heels.

Michael could stay in the bank until four o'clock in the afternoon, before he had to go home so that Great-aunt Barbra wouldn't be _even_ more angry.

Well, the sudden summer storm hit them in the afternoon when Great-aunt Barbra was in the city to "finally drink tea that doesn't taste like muck that even the most awful rats of London would turn down", how she'd said herself, and that was why Ellen sat, with her legs on the coffee table, on the couch and knit and Mary Poppins sat on the chair and read and Georgie stood outside on the street and talked to the Admiral about his adventures at sea.

Annabel and John opened the front door and pulled Georgie with them who waved towards the Admiral.

"Hello.", they said and Ellen's voice sounded from the living room.

"Hello.", the housekeeper shouted, "Come, come. Tell me, how was school?"

But before the twins even had a chance to open their mouths, Georgie ran past them into the living room.

"Mary Poppins!", he said and shuddered to a halt next to her.

"Yes, Georgie?", Mary Poppins said without looking up.

"I'm going to be a _sailor_ just like Admiral Boom.", Georgie explained to her, "When I'm older I will pack my things into a large kitbag and I will go my way and live on a boat. And some day _I _will build a house with a mast and a sail and everything and once I'm old then there'll be someone who passes by and talks to _me_ about _my _adventures and..."

He stopped when Mary Poppins raised her hand.

She shut her book close and looked at the boy in silence.

"Sailor?", she finally asked.

Georgie nodded in excitement, "Sailor."

Mary Poppins shook her head, "The very idea, Georgie. Sailor, _indeed_!"

She rolled her eyes and stroked through the boy's hair, "Let's wait until you're in secondary school, Georgie Banks. We'll see from that."

This time it was Annabel who interrupted her, "So you'll stay until Georgie changes schools?"

But Mary Poppins shook her head, "I'll stay until the chain breaks, Annabel. And not a second longer."

And with that the subject was off the table.

They would have discussed it for an eternity, or rather the children would have kept on at Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins herself would've said -again and again- that she would stay until the chain breaks.

But then the front door opened and, for there was no word of greeting, they all knew that it _had _ to be Great-aunt Barbra.

Ellen jumped up and disappeared into the kitchen, faster than anyone had expected her to be.

And Mary Poppins put away her book nervelessly and took a sip from her tea.

And then Great-aunt Barbra swept into the room just like this very summer storm.

"Don't you have homework to do?!", she barked at the children and turned to Mary Poppins.

"We're having visitors today. I do _not _ wish to see you."

Mary Poppins blinked at the woman.

Then she took another sip from her tea and said, "When to see me and when _not_, I'm glad to decide myself, Ma'am."

Great-aunt Barbra snorted.

But she didn't say anything else and gave the children a warning look.

And, just like at every thunderstorm, the first thunder was the worst. The loudest, the longest and the one at that _everyone_ flinched.

"What?!", Michael bursted when he found out that there would be visitors at any moment, "Who?!"

Great-aunt Barbra frowned, "Your sister, Michael. I invited her."

And Michael almost tripped with horror, "B-But..."

And he could have stand like that and stared at her for hours, the eyes widened and the mouth formed to a horrified 'O', if it wasn't for the doorbell that rang in the exact same moment.

No one moved; Michael and Great-aunt Barbra didn't because they tried to kill the other one with their piercing looks, Annabel, John and Georgie didn't because they waited for the approving nod from their father and Mary Poppins didn't because she just didn't think herself to be in charge for opening any door in the Banks House.

It rang again, then it knocked.

"I'm on my way.", Ellen's voice sounded and her heavy steps echoed through the hallway.

When she saw the others standing in sad hallway she stopped.

"What's going on?", she asked in confusion, "Does anyone give a twig to open the door?"

It was clear that Michael had to _force_ himself to look away from his aunt and he sighed heavily.

Then he opened the door.

Jane Banks stood, her hands folded in front of her, in front of it and from time to time looked around in worry.

When she suddenly saw her brother standing in the door, she lowered her gaze and said nothing.

Michael forced a quick 'hello' but then went silent, too.

"Jane!", Great-aunt Barbra welcomed the young woman and shook her hand.

She wasn't a woman to give hugs.

"Come on in, you're going to freeze out there."

'Freeze' was a little bit too much. It was warm outside, so warm that the bird had began to chirp early in the morning.

Jane quickly passed the threshold anyways.

"How are you, aunt?", she asked and loked onto the street with another worried glance, then she closed the front door with a sigh.

"As good as one may be with getting the _worst_ tea in town, a maid being an incompetent bungler and children worse behaved than stray dogs!", Great-aunt Barbra answered with a sharp look at Michael.

Jane frowned, "Bad tea? Mary Poppins does _bad tea_?!"

Mary Poppins turned up her nose in anger, "Jane, _really_!"

Jane lowered her gaze, "I can't imagine-"

It knocked at the door.

Jane's face brightened up, "Finally! I thought he wouldn't get here on time!"

Great-aunt Barbra crowned, "_Who_ doesn't get here on time?"

Jane opened the door and, hidden behind said door, she pulled Jack close and gave him a small kiss.

He looked at her with worry, stroked over her cheek and smiled.

"I thought you wouldn't make it on time.", she said and pulled him inside.

"Who is that?!", Great-aunt Barbra bursted when she saw the lamplighter.

Jack had his cleaning cloth still thrown over his shoulder and his hands were a little bit oily.

Quickly he whipped his hand on the cloth and reached out for Great-aunt Barbra's hand, "Jack, my name, Ma'am."

Great-aunt Barbra chose to ignore his hand and looked at Jane.

"What is the meaning of all this?!", she barked and Jane flinched back.

She took Jack's hand and squeezed it.

"I...this is Jack.", she managed to say.

Great-aunt Barbra grimaced, "I've heard that!"

Jane took a deep breath, "Aunt Barbra...Jack and I...We're...well..."

"Together.", Jack said and looked at Jane frowning.

"What?!", Great-aunt Barbra Barker, "Together. What's that supposed to mean 'together'?!"

Jane lowered her gaze as if she was ashamed, "I...well..."

And, surprisingly, Michael raised his voice.

"What Jane is trying to say it that they are together like...like Kate and I. Just without the...wedding."

Great-aunt Barbra's eyes widened.

Then she stared at Jane and Jack.

"You, Jane?", she said, "With someone like _him_?! Together? Good heavens!"

Michael rolled his eyes.

He stood behind his aunt so that she couldn't see it. Mary Poppins could.

She raised an eyebrow, then she smiled.

"I say we should go into the living room.", Michael said and led Great-aunt Barbra to the couch.

The woman looked at Jack with a disapproving look, then she snorted and sat down onto the cushions.

"Tea with or without milk, Ma'am?", Ellen asked.

"Without.", was the answer.

Then she looked at Jane and sighed deeply.

"I always hoped you would take after your mother and marry a _respected _ man.", she said with a side look at Jack, "But it seems that you take after your father."

Michael frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

That his mother hadn't been a respected woman? That people had called her modest or even plain?

Jane squeezes Jack's hand even harder, "I'm very happy, aunt Barbra, and I'm sure that mother would be, too, if she was still alive. She always said she'd be happy when I was happy."

Michael nodded.

"The tea is served.", Ellen said from the dining table but she would regret saying it some minutes later.

Because as soon as they all sat down and had a cup of tea standing in front of them, Jane and Michael seemed to remember their current relationship and both fell silent.

They looked at their cups and when the other one didn't look, they glanced at each other.

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes.

They were behaving like children.

It only lacked the tears then-

In that moment Jane let out a small sob.

Jack gave her a worried look and Michael buried his face in his hands.

"Say it.", Jane pressed out whilst she choked on her tears, "Well, say it, then!"

Michael grimaced, "I...I'm sorry...I think."

Jane blinked, "You think?"

"What is he _sorry _ for?!", Great-aunt Barbra barked, "What is going on here?!"

But no one answered.

And the vein on her forehead began to swell for if there was one thing Great-aunt Barbra couldn't stand, it was being ignored.

"I shouldn't have shouted at you like that.", Michael admitted and lowered his gaze.

Jane sniffed and started to talk, when Mary Poppins suddenly stood up and, in her haste, accidentally knocked her tea cup over.

"Oh.", she said and whilst the tea dripped into Jane's lap and everyone jumped up and pulled out their napkins, the room slowly began to change.

Couch and armchair disappeared and were replaced by a grand piano, where the window had been seconds ago, now was a cosy fire place and next to the fire place stood a large, thin man with a large moustache and a top hat that was higher than Mary Poppins' arm was long.

His face was small and his eyes were framed by large glasses.

Jane, Michael, Ellen, Great-aunt Barbra and the children looked around in confusion.

"What in the name of-", Great-aunt Barbra began but the long one interrupted her.

"Mary Poppins!", he shouted in excitement and jumped forwards and kissed both her hands.

"Mary Poppins!", he said again and grinned.

"Good day to you, Helwick.", she greeted with a smile, "May I present? This is the Banks Family. Jane and Michael, Annabel, John and Georgie and there we have Ellen, Jack and Barbra Fulton."

Helwick nodded with a grin, "Happy to meet you, happy to meet you."

Then he turned to Mary Poppins, "What brings you here, my dearest?"

Mary Poppins gave a small smile, "What could it be, Helwick. Clearly this family is in desperate need of a wonderful walk through the park, isn't it?"

Helwick nodded so hard that his top hat almost fell off, "I'm pleased, _very_ pleased."

He turned to the Bankses who still stared at him with their mouths opened wide, "I'm really, wonderfully pleased, my dearests, to be able to pass such a refreshing, happy day like this one with such happily-cheerful, charmingly-wonderful people like you are. And, Mary Poppins, my deary-dearest, we will talk about this day at the best of the best for you're visiting us, that much joy you bring to us."

And he swept out of the room and into the hallway, "Come on, come on. You wouldn't dare to miss it."

And he opened the front door and pushed them, one after one, over the threshold.

In the streets it was highly filled, there were children who played and laughed and grownups who talked and -well...laughed and even the dogs that sniffed each other through the garden fence seemed to grin at each other.

"Welcome, welcome!", it sounded from the end of the street.

Mary Poppins and Helwick stepped along towards the park.

"Welcome, welcome!", it sounded closer and closer and finally a big man appeared next to a street lamp, a sign in his hands that read 'Welcome to the land of the gloating, charmingly-wonderful happiness' and he smiled so hard that it must hurt.

When he saw Mary Poppins, he almost tripped with happiness.

"Mary Poppins!", he shouted just as happy as Helwick had and he smiled even harder, "Mary Poppins, how wonderful to see you."

"Thank you.", Mary Poppins said flattered.

They stepped past the man and entered the park where the children ran towards the candy woman who had her cart standing in a large tree's shadow.

Mary Poppins led the Bankses to a bench where they sat down; Mary Poppins and Helwick, Michael and Jane and Jack and Great-aunt Barbra.

"How?", Jane stuttered.

"What?", Michael murmured.

"Who?", Ellen said.

And "Where?!", barked Great-aunt Barbra.

Jack grinned at Mary Poppins, "Wily."

Mary Poppins' eyes widened indignantly.

"Wily?", she said, "_Me_? The very idea."

At that moment, Helwick turned around and when he saw the tears in the corner of Jane's eyes and Michael lowering his head and Great-aunt Barbra looking around in a bad mood, his eyes widened.

"That's not okay.", he said, "No, that's not okay _at all_. We're in the Land of Happines, there's no such a thing as moping! There's no such a thing as sadness! Here's where everyone is always smiling!"

And he jumped up and pulled Jane up, took both her hands and started dancing with her around the bench, to a song he hummed.

And the tears began to disappear from Jane's eyes, magically, and her lips formed to a grin.

The grin became a giggle and then she threw her head back and laughed.

Helwick grinned.

"And now everyone!", he shouted and Jack jumped up and offered Mary Poppins his hand.

"Oh, Jack.", Mary Poppins said with a smile, "Not now, not today."

But he took her hand anyways and pulled her near to him and whirled her around.

And Michael took Annabel's hand and John and Georgie danced and ran over the grass and crushed the small flowers beneath them.

And whilst they all danced -everyone in the park, the man with the 'Welcome'-sign put said sign away and offered his hand to Ellen and all the young men envied Jack the woman in his arms, although he wasn't even his, just because they weren't honoured to dance with Mary Poppins- Great-aunt Barbra sat on the bench all by herself and turned up her nose.

And after some time, Helwick stopped and handed Jane's hand over to Jack and Mary Poppins stepped back, and he tilted his head and said thoughtfully, "Some people reach for their heads and meet...empty air."

And you could've started thinking about the meaning of all that but _they_ didn't for Helwick took Mary Poppins' hand and whirled her around and she laughed and was happy just like all the other ones.

And in all the happiness, Jack whirled Jane around and she turned and pulled him with her and in the same moment the candy woman stepped forward with her little cart and Jack tripped and knocked his head against the bench.

And everything went dark.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Jack?"

The voice sounded wide apart from him, dumb and small as if he was under the water.

"Jack? Good heavens, Jack."

His whole body felt heavy, so heavy.

"It's going to take effect soon.", another voice said, calmer than the one before.

What would take effect? And for _whom_?

"What if it doesn't."

"It will."

It was as if he would slowly emerge from the water. The voices grew louder and louder and his body grew lighter and then he opened his eyes.

"Jack!"

Jane's worried face appeared over him, "How are you?"

Jack sat up in confusion.

His head was swimming and he could still hear the melody Helwick had hummed to the dance.

"Where's Helwick?", he asked and looked around.

Mary Poppins blinked at him, "Who, for the love of God, is Helwick?'

Jack frowned, "The one with the top hat who-"

But when he saw Mary Poppins' look, he stopped.

"Dou you think you can stand up?", Michael asked and carefully helped Jack up.

"Sure.", Jack said.

He swayed when Michael let go of him and supported his weight at the couch.

"I...I'm still dizzy from the dancing."

Mary Poppins blinked again, "Dancing? Oh, Jack, I'm afraid you must have hit your head _very hard_."

Jack rolled his eyes. He knew what she was doing; The denying. Not _lying_, Mary Poppins would _never_ lie, after all! But denying was what she did.

The others didn't seem to know that, not like he did.

"But I was there, too.", Annabel said and John and Georgie nodded in agreement.

"I know it.", John said, "You knocked your tea cup over and then there was Helwick standing there with his funny hat and he went to the park with us where we got sweets and Helwick danced with Jane and Jack danced with you, Mary Poppins, and-"

When he was Mary Poppins' warning look, he shut his mouth rather quickly.

"And now you'll tell me we'd have met the Queen and had tea with her and then we would have had a trip through the desert on the back of a camel.", Mary Poppins said and rolled her eyes.

By all sudden, the living room door was pulled open and Great-aunt Barbra stormed in with her packed suitcases in her hands.

"I'm leaving.", she barked, the vein on her forehead swelling, "I'm not staying a second longer in this _mad house_!"

Michael grimaced, "Mad house?"

Great-aunt Barbra nodded, "Why, yes, a mad house. A bungler as a maid, ill-bred _brats_ as children and a _witch_ as a nanny! No, I'm not staying here."

Mary Poppins' eyes widened, "Witch?"

Michael frowned, "Why would you call Mary Poppins a 'witch'?"

Great-aunt Barbra stepped closer to Mary Poppins and said, her voice filled with hatred, "'Lunatic', 'Criminal', 'Witch'...Call it what you want! But I won't sit still and let that woman _drug_ me again!"

Everyone stared at her in shock.

But Mary Poppins only blinked and led the woman to the front door.

She bent forward a little bit, so she could look right into Great-aunt Barbra's eyes, and then she sniffed and said thoughtfully, "Some people reach for their heads and meet empty air."

And she gently pushed the elder woman onto the garden path and shut the front door close.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

_I can show you the world._

_Shining, shimmering splendid._

_~ A Whole New World, Aladdin 2019, **Naomi Scott** and **Mena Massoud**_


	7. The smallest house

**A/N: So...I'm posting this chapter a little bit earlier. I just got so excited about what happens in this chapter so I wrote very very quickly...**

**This chapter is from three or maybe four different point of views and I'm very excited about your comments on how I wrote those sections.**

**I think in this chapter Mary Poppins gets to be a little bit more like her Musical-self so you could say a little OOC-ish but I don't know.**

**For me, Mary Poppins just acts a little bit differently around the character that will join the story in this chapter.**

**I would love to read your comments, I'm always so excited to read your thoughts and opinions.**

**Anyways...here's the seventh chapter;)**

**ChibiDawn23: Yes, Jack did really get all of the bad stuff...Thank you very much! I'm flattered;)**

**Serpico1986: First; what is it about this 1986?...nooow...Thank you for the comment! And...that's actually a very good idea...:)**

**Phantom Actress: I'm, too. Thanks for the comment:)**

**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Mary Poppins or Mary Poppins Returns...**

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

**Chapter SEVEN**

**The smallest house**

"Goodbye, Michael.", Jack took Jane's brother's hand and shook it.

Michael nodded, "Goodbye."

He took Georgie's arm before the boy could slip through the door and waved.

Then the door was shut close.

"They must be so relieved, now that aunt Barbra has gone.", Jane said with a small laugh and linked her arm with Jack's, "She _do_ is horrible."

Jack stroked the young woman's arm gently, "She's your mother's sister, right?"

Jane nodded.

"That she is.", she grinned, "But they are so very different, Mother and aunt Barbra. Though Mother was almost seven years older than Barbra, Barbra always acted as if she was the elder one. And she always discoursed into _everything_."

Jack grimaced, "Well, I don't doubt that. My head ist still hurting -and not just from falling."

Jane playfully patted his arm, "Oh, Jack. As soon as we're home, I'm going to make some hot chocolate and ice cream and you'll get well in no time."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Nutcase."

But Jane only laughed and drew nearer to him.

"I'm so happy that Michael and the children want to come to the next rally.", she sighed happily and smiled into Jack's arm crook.

They shuddered to a halt and looked at the house in the Cherry Tree Lane again, then they smiled.

"Come along.", Jack said, "Let's go home."

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Don't forget that Georgie and I are going to wait for you at the school gate.", Mary Poppins said while she handed the school bag to Annabel.

"Of course not, Mary Poppins.", the girl said and opened the door with a look on her twin brother, "John, hurry up, I don't want to be late."

Quickly, John laced up his shoes and hurried after his sister onto the street, "Goodbye, see you later."

And he waved to them once again.

For a moment, Mary Poppins and Georgie watched how the two children disappeared, then Mary Poppins took a deep breath and said firmly, "Georgie, in you go. You haven't had breakfast yet and we have to leave soon."

Georgie closed the door, "Yes, Mary Poppins."

Mary Poppins smiled as she followed him into the kitchen, "There's a good boy."

In the kitchen Ellen stood in front of the cooker and prepared the tea; first the milk, then the tea and at last one spoonful of sugar, just like Mary Poppins loved her tea.

"Thank you, Ellen.", Mary Poppins said when she took the tea cup from Ellen's hands.

"Oh, Mary Poppins.", the housekeeper sighed, "If we didn't have you, I wouldn't know what to do. I do have these back problems and the shoppings don't do..."

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, "Ellen, you don't have to ask, Georgie and I are very capable of doing the shoppings honour way back from school, isn't that right, Georgie?"

The boy nodded with his mouth full.

Ellen smiled, "You are such a good help."

Mary Poppins frowned, "I can't remember a time when I wasn't a good help, Ellen. So, explain yourself, if you please."

But Ellen turned around and disappeared through the kitchen door into her own room, humming a joyful melody.

Georgie grinned at Mary Poppins, who drank her tea and put the cup on the saucer and looked at her reflection on the spoon for a moment.

Then she sniffed, "Come on, Georgie. It's time."

With a jerk, she broke away from the sight of herself and looked at Georgie, "Go and wash your hands."

And whilst Georgie disappeared into the bathroom and did what Mary Poppins had told him to do, Mary Poppins did the washing-up and stood, at the same moment as Georgie, in the hallway to hand him his coat.

"Off we go, now.", Mary Poppins said and opened the front door, "Hippity-hopp."

And with the tiniest jump she got over the threshold and stood out on the garden path.

Georgie pulled the door to a close and then joined Mary Poppins walking down the path.

"Mary Poppins?"

"Yes, Georgie?"

The boy pouted a little bit, "Why can't I walk alone like Annabel and John?"

The nanny looked at Georgie for a second, then she rolled her eyes.

"Annabel and John always walk together, Georgie, _and _they are older than you. You would have to walk all by yourself and you're too young for _that_.", she explained whilst she waited for him patiently to keep up with her pace.

With her umbrella stuck under her arm and Georgie's school bag in her hand, she hurried down the garden path, opened the small gate and stood on the street with two steps, "Georgie, don't dawdle."

Georgie pushed both hands into his trousers pockets and tried to ignore Mary Poppins the best he could.

"I think that's unfair.", he murmured.

Mary Poppins sniffed in amusement, "I've never been in Buckingham Palace, Georgie, _I_ think _that's _unfair."

Georgie looked at the nanny in confusion, "You haven't? But I thought you once had tea with the queen."

Mary Poppins arched an eyebrow, "_Me_? Tea with the _queen of England_?! The very thought."

And with that she handed Georgie his school bag and stepped along.

"But you said you once had tea with the queen, I know you did.", Georgie mumbled quietly so that Mary Poppins couldn't possibly hear him.

Mary Poppins walked quickly down the sidewalk and they crossed the street and reached the corner at which Georgie's best friend James waited for them, just like he did every day.

"Good morning, James.", Mary Poppins greeted the boy who stood on the kerb with a lowered head, one foot on the street.

He didn't say anything.

Mary Poppins lightly cleared her throat.

Then he looked up, "Good morning."

His face was tear-stained and his eyes were red and swollen.

"Oh!", Georgie said alarmed, "What happened?"

James lowered his head again.

"Nothing out off the ordinary.", he murmured and whipped his nose at the sleeve of his coat, "They just...fought so terribly again and then...you see; Father never was one to keep control over his feelings, and then- then he hit Mother."

Georgie's eyes widened, "He did?!"

James nodded, "Not hard and he immediately apologised. It's nothing I wouldn't know."

Mary Poppins slightly lowered her gaze.

It was something she couldn't stand about the way she worked; to have to watch how other families broke apart just because they didn't ask for her help.

She took a deep breath, "James, save your tears for a funeral, if you please. They _always_ prove useful there!"

And with that she stepped along and listened if the children would follow her.

Of course, they did, _Mary Poppins_ had told them so, after all.

The latter smiled knowingly whilst she led the two boys through the city and to the school.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Where do we go? Where do we go? Where do we go?", Georgie sang and hopped up and down next to Mary Poppins.

The nanny gave him a warning look, "Georgie, _please_. You'll know it soon enough."

It rang for school ending.

The sound was loud and piercing, like a bell one striked with all one's strength.

And suddenly amounts of students swept from the building, nattering like little ducks, and Georgie stretched to look for his siblings between all the students.

"They are too late.", he complained when Annabel and John weren't under the students that walked past them.

Mary Poppins sighed, "Georgie."

She took the boy's arm, so he couldn't run into the school building, and smiled when she saw the twins stepping out of the door.

"There they are.", she said, "The time's not running from us, Georgie Banks, we've got the whole afternoon."

Georgie crossed his arms and tried a grumpy face. But as soon as his siblings stood next to him, he grinned widely and hopped up and down, not as hard as before so to not annoy Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, then she nodded and said, "Come along, children. Don't dawdle."

She walked forward with a small spring in her step, Annabel, John and Georgie hot on her heels.

John grinned at Annabel and whispered, "I read the note."

Annabel knit her brows, "Which -Oh. _Oh_."

She glanced at Mary Poppins and quickly leant to her brother, "Please don't tell her."

John rolled his eyes, "She's going to find out about it, anyways, Annabel. She's _Mary Poppins_."

And he said it as if it was taken for granted that Mary Poppins knew _everything_.

"Mary Poppins?"

"Yes, Georgie?", the nanny's voice was something between annoyed and amused.

"Where are we going?"

Mary Poppins gave the boy a furious look over her shoulder. Then she turned to the right and -by all sudden- was gone.

"Why!", Annabel said, "I've never seen this alley before."

Mary Poppins looked at the girl with a smile and waited until John and Georgie, too, stepped into the hidden alley between the two grand houses.

"Clearly, you don't see the very lot.", she then said with a small snort and walked towards the small house at the end of the alley.

It was by far the smallest house in the street, a small house made off brick with dark windows and a clumpy front door.

"Are we going there?", asked Georgie excitedly.

As an answer Mary Poppins knocked at the door with the handle of her umbrella.

In the inside of the house it clattered slightly and heavy steps sounded.

"I'm coming, I'm coming.", the deep, joyful voice sounded.

Then the door opened and they faced a tall, thin man.

He was so tall that he almost towered above Mary Poppins by one head but still he didn't hit his head on the door frame.

"Mary Poppins!", he uttered joyfully and when he laughed small laughter-lines built in the corners of his eyes.

A small beard graced his chin and he eyed Mary Poppins up with a green and a blue eye.

The children had never seen such a thing before!

He was a man in his late fifties, maybe early sixties, with grey hair but a childlike smile.

"Bert.", Mary Poppins smiled in a way they'd never seen her smile, "It's wonderful to see you again."

For a moment, Mary Poppins and Bert looked at each other as if they'd speak a language no one else understood, then Bert stepped to the side and said, "Come on in."

And one after one they entered the small hallway and Mary Poppins walked straight into the living room as if she knew her way around very well.

"And you must be Michael Banks' children.", Bert said and smiled at Annabel, John and Georgie friendly.

Georgie tilted his head to one side You know our father?"

Bert nodded and lead the youngest Banks-son with a large, heavy hand on his back, into the dining room, "Of course. I was a good friend of his, one on whom he could always count on and who brought him luck, one who said in the dark until he could help."

And he blinked at Mary Poppins.

And Mary Poppins _blinked back_.

Annabel couldn't believe what she saw.

"Tea?", Mary Poppins asked as if it was _her_ house and Bert and the children were _her_ guests.

"I would be pleased, Mary.", Bert said and sank onto the couch.

'Mary'. No one had ever dared to call Mary Poppins by her first name only!

"Where do you know Mary Poppins from?" John asked curiously and thankfully took the cookie from the plate, Bert handed him.

Bert grinned, "I've known her for a long time. Since I was a little boy, that was when we met and we've never...Well, you could say we've never lost track of each other."

Annabel tilted her head to one side, "Sounds as if you were...a _couple_."

And she said it as if it was impossible that _Mary Poppins _had a man in her life.

Bert shook his head and said with a slight chuckle, "Good heavens, no. I wouldn't last a second as her husband, and she wouldn't as my wife."

Then he threw Mary Poppins, who entered the living room with a frown and a tray with tea pot and cups, a amused look, "I'm married anyways."

Mary Poppins smiled slightly and sat down next to Bert on the couch, "How is dear Elizabeth?"

Georgie sat up straighter, "Is Elizabeth your wife?"

Bert nodded.

A childlike smile crept onto his lips whe he said, "She's fine. She's at the 'Olliven Tea Party' with a friend right now, she's always home late after those."

Mary Poppins nodded, poured tea into the cups and handed them to everyone, "And what about Edith and Florence? I haven't seen them in a long time."

Bert took a sip of his tea, then he looked at Mary Poppins for a moment and put down his tea cup onto the saucer.

"I would've thought you'd knew.", he said quietly, "I'd been wondering why you didn't come to the wedding."

Mary Poppins' face brightened up, "Edith's married, but Bert, I know. I wrote a letter."

Bert grinned, "I know. I only wanted to test you."

Mary Poppins laughed slightly.

Then she took another sip of her tea, "And Florence?"

"Flornece has flown the coop.", the man explained, "A while ago, actually, to St. Anne's to study."

Mary Poppins nodded acknowledging, "I've heard about that."

For a moment it was completely silent and Mary Poppins and Bert looked at each other quietly.

Then Bert turned to the children.

"So?", he said with childlike curiosity, "What have you done with Mary Poppins so far?"

The children grinned at each other.

"Oh, just _so _much.", Annabel said.

"Yes.", John agreed, "We had a bath..."

"And we went to the Royal Doulton Music Hall...", Georgie finished.

"We visited Mary Poppins' cousin and danced with the leeries."

"We climbed up Big Ben and..."

"And we went up in the air at the fair."

"And..."

Mary Poppins raised a red-gloved finger and Annabel, John and Georgie stopped immediately.

"Nonsense.", the nanny said, "Foolishness."

John grinned knowingly, "It makes no sense. And if it makes no sense, it can't be true."

Mary Poppins nodded, "I'm flattered, John, thank you."

Then she turned to Bert, "Oh, Bert, no matter how lovely it is to see you after all this time, I'm afraid the children and I must head home. I promised Michael that I would have the children back at home before dinner, he's out tonight."

Slowly, the nanny stood up and put her empty tea cup onto the tray.

Bert got up, too.

With long steps, he went with Mary Poppins and the Banks Children into the hallway and opened the door.

"Goodbye, you three.", he said, then he looked up and looked at Mary Poppins with a long, lingering gaze.

"It was wonderful to see you, Mary Poppins."

And whilst the nanny and the children stepped away from the front door and shrunk in the distance, Bert smiled a small smile and whispered, "Don't stay away too long."

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Psst."

Annabel sat up straight in her bed.

"Psst.", it sounded again.

It came from the window.

With a jerk, Annabel jumped up and opened the balcony door.

Arthur sat on the banister. Arthur Samuels from Annabel's class, the one with the brown curls and the wide grin.

"You remembered.", Annabek whispered and it almost sounded relieved.

"Of course.", Arthur said and jumped from the banister nimbly, "Why should I've forgotten?"

Annabel shrugged, "I don't know. I thought, you would forget it for sure."

Arthur entered the room and closed the door behind them. Then he looked around, "I always thought, you would have your own room."

Annabel grimaced, "I have, but Mary Poppins sleeps there."

Arthur grinned, "The nanny."

Annabel nodded, "The nanny."

She sat dow next to her bed on the floor and leant against the bed post.

"I can't stay for long.", Arthur admitted, "But I wanted to give something to you."

He took Annabel's hand and put something in it and before Annabel had the time to open her fist to see what it was, Arthur had already jumped up and hurried to the balcony door.

Just when he sat on the banister, he turned around once again.

"Does anyone know about this?", he asked and his voice echoed loud and dump at the same time through the darkness of the night.

Annabel shook her head, "No, no one knows. My father doesn't, Ellen doesn't and Mary Poppins doesn't either."

Arthur grinned, "Very well, then. Goodnight, Annie.'

And he slid down the balcony post and vanished into the darkness.

With a happy smile, Annabel slid under her blankets again and stroked the pendant in her hand.

No one knew about this, it was _her own_ little secret.

And behind the door to the nursery, Mary Poppins smiled faintly.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_We were seventeen, but he was sweet and it was true. Still I did what I had to do._

_~ Another Day Of Sun, LaLaLand, **Reshma Gajjar**_


	8. Free or caught

**A/N: Hi there:)**

**I'm back...I know it's been a while since the last update and I'm truly sorry for that. I simply struggled through this whole chapter and I'm still not completely sure whether I'm satisfied with this or not. So comments would be very great.**

**Anyways...I appreciate your comments and your feedback! It's great reading what you think about this whole thing!**

**Now...let's get started...**

**Laranjones1986: Thank you very much!**

**Guest: Thank you. And the whole 'Annabel-Arthur' truly got me, too;)**

**Phantom Actress: Why, I'm sorry/ But that's just how life is...as I wrote on one comment under the german fic of this...**

**I think that Mary Poppins and Bert are connected through a very very strong friendship. I can imagine that there maybe once was 'something' between them, before the Banks Family, I mean, but that Mary Poppins couldn't and didn't want to have something more with Bert. Ans Bert had to accept that and so love turned into friendship that is hard to concur because it survived unrequited love. And then Beet found another woman, one that was perfect for _him_ and not for the whole world, too, like Mary Poppins. That's what I'm picturing.**

**I just can't think of Mary Poppins as the relationshio kind of a person, if you know what I mean;)**

**Anyways...thanks for leaving a comment.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything of the Mary Poppins franchise**

**Chapter EIGHT**

**Free or caught**

"Ellen is at her sister's, I have another appointment with the director of the bank and Mary Poppins has her evening off, today.", Michael said and his gaze went back and forth between his children as if he tried to see their reactions all at once.

"I told Mr. Binnacle to keep an eye on you so you won't mess this up."

Annabel rolled her eyes.

Mr. Binnacle wasn't the best minder in Cherry Tree Lane that father could've asked. The old man fell asleep even before dinner, sitting in his rocking chair, whilst the admiral polished his fleet collection.

"I don't want to have to be worried.", Michael said forcefully, "You are old enough to be on your own for one evening, without Mary Poppins."

Annabel again rolled her eyes, "Yes, father, we're going to be fine."

She turned on her heels and almost ran onto Mary Poppins who stood on the landing, the blue coat over her shoulders, the red hat on her head and the umbrella in her hand.

"Goodbye, Annabel.", Mary Poppins said and blinked towards the girl.

Annabel looked at her in confusion, "G-Goodbye, Mary Poppins."

The nanny turned around and went with quick steps to the door.

"Mary Poppins!", Georgie shouted and jumped from behind Michael's back, "Mary Poppins, could you please bring some gingerbread?"

Mary Poppins stopped for a moment and looked at Georgie from piercing blue eyes.

"Gingerbread?", she then said, "In _summer_?! Georgie Banks."

And she said it as if it was absurd to even _think_ of gingerbread in summer.

But before anyone could even open his mouth, she'd already stepped out the door and hurried down the street towards the park.

For a while they looked after her, Michael and his children, then Kichael shrugged and took the hat from its place upon the shelf.

For the last time he looked at his children and his gaze pierced into Annabel's blue eyes.

"Behave.", he said, "Until tomorrow."

And he closed the door behind him.

"Uuuh.", Annabel said and tolles her eyes, "And I thought he would never stop."

John grinned, a cheeky flicker in his eyes, "And what are we going to do now?"

Georgie shrugged and looked after his sister in confusion, as she disappeared into the wardrobe and appeared from it again, wearing coat and hat.

"What are you doing there?", he asked.

Annabel grinned, "I have a meeting in the park."

Georgie couldn't hold back a sigh, "Well that's not a surprise."

Annabel frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Georgie crossed his arms in front of his chest. His foot tapped over the floor as if he was annoyed.

"You use every single opportunity to escape this.", he said, "And Mary Poppins will know it anyways and then we're never going to be left at home alone."

Annabel opened the front door and looked up and down the street.

Mary Poppins was nowhere to be seen.

"You forget that she won't be here forever, Georgie.", the girl said, "She doesn't stay, that's what she said."

John snorted.

"You're taking advantage.", he snapped, "You're taking advantage of all of them."

Annabel simply shrugged and pulled the door to a close.

John and Georgie looked at each other with arched eyebrows.

"That's going to be nasty.", John murmured and Georgie nodded in agreement.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

It was a wonderful day, one of those at which the sun burned down onto London and the birds chirped as if it was their last day.

No place in the park remained empty and on the dusty paths romped amounts of people.

On those corners where it seemed to be overly crowded, dealers and barkers had mounted their stalls and lured the passerbys with their choices.

It wouldn't have been an overly big surprise if Annabel had ran into Mary Poppins here but she was here for some time now and hadn't spot her among the crowds.

She must've gone further, crossed the park and now passed her free time in the city, Annabel thought, even if it seemed somewhat strange to her, for she couldn't think of any place but the park that would be comfortable enough for Mary Poppins.

"Here you go.", Arthur said and handed the girl her ice cream that he had bought for then some time ago.

"Oh.", Eliza said and grinned, "All the gentleman."

Annabel felt how a blush of shame crept up her cheeks and she quickly began to lick her ice cream.

"So...", Arthur started after he had sat down next to her onto the blanket, "The summer ball..."

Annabel shifted on her place awkwardly, "Yes..."

Eliza gave her thumbs up behind Arthur's back.

For a moment the boy seemed to struggle for words, the he finally said, "Do you already have someone to...to take you?"

Annabel stared at her hands.

"No.", she coo-ed and smiled.

"Great. Because I wanted to ask if you-"

"She says 'yes'.", Eliza suddenly said and nudged Annabek in her side, "Right?"

Annabel grinned, "Yes."

Arthur slowly let out his breath in relief.

Then he turned to his ice cream again.

The summer ball.

Annabel suppressed a sigh.

The summer ball was one of the biggest events at school of the year, right after the Christmas festival.

Every year there was a new motto, this year it would be 'Red Roses', and the boys wore pretty suits with a tie or a bow tie and they picked up the girls at their homes, who wore the prettiest dresses and gowns and which mothers had made them the most beautiful hairstyles. And then they went to the hall and their was a grand buffet with crackers and a jug of lemonade and then they danced to a music that was played by a band. Only those who were 12 years old or older were allowed to come to the summer ball, otherwise it would be too crowded in the hall.

Annabel looked into the air before her for a moment.

Who would do her hairdo this year? Her mother couldn't, after all.

"Annabel, you said you would explain this whole 'Mary-Poppins-situation' to us.", Eliza said by all sudden and interrupted the Banks-girl's thoughts, "So, go on."

Annabel blinked, "O-Of course."

She again shifted on her place and draped her skirts over her legs, "My family knows Mary Poppins for a long time. She once was my father's nanny when he was a little boy and went on unbelievable adventures with him. But then she had to leave and left him and aunt Jane alone. They thought they would never see her again, because she left in such a hurry. But then, one year after mother had died, she came back and became John's, Georgie's and my nanny."

Annabel smiled faintly and began to twirl a strike of hair around her finger, "She was the best thing that had ever happened to us, really. Everything seemed to be okay when she just sat beside you and gave you an encouraging smile when you worked on the difficult homework or when she stroked through your hair and pulled you comfortingly in her arms when you'd woken up after a bad nightmare. We had this strange feeling that we would know her. We thought she would stay forever. And then she left and we were once again alone. And at the beginning everything was well, as if she'd never left, because we never fought and father didn't have to worry about the house. But the everything started anew. Aunt Jane and the lamplighter Jack were now officially courting and he moved to her apartment and Jane's visits at our house became less and less from time to time until she only visited Friday afternoon. And father became angry and jealous and only talked to her when it was really necessary. Everything went down the tubes, until she suddenly stood in the door some time ago. And that's the whole story."

Annabel whipped away the crumbs from her skirt and smiled, "Until now. You can never know what will come next."

Arthur smiled at her, "Precisely."

Annabel seemed to be hypnotised from his intense look with which he scrutinised her and her gaze was led to his face, where dimples formed on his cheeks and his lips formed to a grin.

Eliza cleared her throat and Annabel flinched back.

A blush of shame crept into her cheeks and she quickly turned away from Arthur.

"What's the time?", the ladder suddenly asked and Eliza gave a look at her wrist clock that her father had given her.

"Half past seven."

Annabel jumped up in excitement, "Really?! Oh no, I have to go!"

She smoothed her skirt and slipped into her coat.

"This was really great.", she hurried to say, "Until tomorrow."

And with that she crossed the grass to the path and walked away.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"And now?", John asked and blew the salt from his fingers.

Quickly Annabel bent over the cookery book and traced along the lines with her fingers so the page got covered with egg.

"Pepper.", she said and looked around the kitchen.

There, on the highest shelf was the pepper mill right next to the candies, the tea and the expensive porcelain that grandmother had bequeathed to father.

"Georgie-", John started and Gerogie jumped up.

"Why me?!", the boy exclaimed, "I'm the smallest!"

John crossed his arms in front of his chest, "But you've the cleanest hands. And you haven't done anything until now!"

Georgie pouted, "I was against the cooking! We're not allowed to use the cooker, father told us a thousand times."

Annabel rolled her eyes, "Who cares! Besides...we are old enough. And now get the pepper."

Georgie sighed deeply. He couldn't say no when his sister looked at him like that.

So he pulled a chair to him and climbed, nippy like a monkey, on the kitchen counter and stood on tiptoes.

He almost tripped over when he reached the upper shelf. Hurriedly he grabbed the shelf before him and pulled it near.

It clashed when a salt cellar fell and crashed onto the counter.

"Georgie!", Annabel hissed alarmed, "Be careful!"

The boy gave his sister an annoyed look, "You can do it!"

But Annabel only crossed her arms and Georgie turned towards the shelf again.

John took the slotted Turner from its place on the wall and turned the slices of meat.

"I'm almost...", Georgie pressed between clenched teeth and pulled himself up.

Finally he could reach for the pepper mill and whirled around with a triumphant look to show them to his siblings.

But he didn't watch out for his foot and stamped him right onto the fork that he could only scream.

He tripped to one side and knocked the candy box over that fell, together with two of the porcelain plates, and was smashed into pieces when it hit the kitchen floor.

"Georgie!", Annabel shouted and leapt forwards.

The boy let himself fall onto the kitchen counter and took a hold on his foot with a whimper.

"My foot.", he cried and flinched back as Annabel ripped his sock off and looked at the foot.

She breathed out in relief, "It's alright, Georgie. There's just a ver very small bit of blood."

Georgie's eyes widened in shock, "_Blood_?!"

John meanwhile got on his knees and started collecting the shattered pieces from the floor.

"Father is going to be mad as hell.", he murmured whilst he let the pieces fall into the flower vase, after a bit of thinking.

And, as if it couldn't get even worse, the kitchen suddenly filled with thick smoke that blocked the view and made breathing hard.

"I can't see anything!", Annabel shouted.

"Ahh!", John screamed as he accidentally grabbed into a piece of the plate.

"The cooker!", Georgie shouted and cried even more.

And, like a miracle, the kitchen door was suddenly pulled open and a person stormed in.

With fast steps it opened a window and threw something -the pan?- outside, opened doors and windows and waved with its hands to blow away the smoke.

And when the air slowly got clearer, the children recognised the person as Mary Poppins who stood there, in the middle of the kitchen, with her hat still on her hat and the coat over her shoulders.

"Well, you can be happy that you've got such attentive neighbours.", she said and arched an eyebrow.

"Mary Poppins!", Georgie said in relief and pulled a face, "We just wanted to-"

"Certainly not burning the house.", the nanny interrupted him with a critical look, "But that is what almost happened. Georgie, come here, I'm afraid I have to give that foot of yours a look. And John?"

She gave the boy a quick glance, "Yes, just the same. Annabel, clean this mess up, if you please. I'll be back in no time."

And Mary Poppins was through the kitchen door again, with Georgie and John at her side, and Annabel was alone.

Mary Poppins was angry, they could tell.

Silent and without any sight of a feeling, she cleaned John's hand and Georgie's foot and bandaged the small wounds.

A teeny-tiny frown formed on her forehead, as if she would be deep in thought, and only those who knew her very well could tell, that the nanny neither thought about nor worked at something. She was angry.

Angry that the children hadn't listened to their father who had told them a thousand times that they weren't allowed to use the cooker, angry that she'd had to end her evening off so soon to come and help the children and angry that ever since she walked into the kitchen there hadn't been a single word of apology.

So Mary Poppins remained perfectly silent, even as she tucked the children in and put out the light, and let them think on their own about what they'd done that had made her so very angry.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_I won't be led by anyone, not even by you, I'll find my way alone._

_~ If I want to dance, Elisabeth, **Pia Douwes **and **Mark Seibert**_


	9. The King of Gujarat

**A/N:**

**Hi;)**

**It's upload-day...wuuuh!**

**So...in this chapter I've added two small character that are both inspired by two already exciting characters...**

**One is from the first Mary Poppins book and the other is from the Disney movie 'Aladdin'. You'll see which is from which...**

**So thank you very very very much for the comments and favourites and follows. I'm so happy that this story is liked by you:)**

**Phantom Actress: I loved writing that part:) And that's actually a very good thought...I'm gonna keep that in mind (I haven't thought about Michael's reaction until I read your comment but now that got me) Thank you for the comment;)**

**ChibiDawn23: Why yes, she is:))) I haven't thought about the female role model thing but you have a point! Thank you for the comment:)**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own ANYTHING and if I would there'd be a prequel about Mary Poppins and Bert first meeting and the story of Winifred and George Banks because I simply love their stories...**

**Chapter NINE**

**The King of Gujarat**

Three weeks.

Three weeks the children had been grounded. Three weeks in which they had stared at the wall, in which they'd had to help Ellen in the kitchen after _every single _meal. Three weeks in which there had been nothing but school, homework and boredom.

And the worst; three weeks in which Annabel hadn't been able to see Arthur.

Mary Poppins had been strangely quiet in that time, had only talked to the three Banks-children when really necessary.

And that was why the children were so amazed, when they were woken by the sound of opening curtains and the amusing voice of Mary Poppins on this Saturday morning.

"I do think it's long die for you to leave the house, am I not right?"

Georgie tiredly blinked against the sunbeams, "What?"

With two steps the Nnay had reached him and pulled back his blanket.

"Go and wash for the day, children.", she said and had disappeared just as quickly as she had entered the room.

Annabel, John and Georgie looked after her in confusion.

Then they looked at each other.

"It is-?", John began but was interrupted by Georgie, who jumped up with a joyous shout and ran over to the window, "Three weeks have passed!"

He waved to the admiral that stood on the deck and talked to Mr Binnacle. He hadn't had a conversation with the white-beared man in days and he missed them dearly.

Just to the little sparrow that had built his nest under the window sill he had talked. Sadly, he wasn't an overly pleasant person to talk to because, although he was a very good he listeners he lacked in saying even one word.

"Hello, little sparrow.", Georgie whispered and listened to the quiet chirping.

"Truly, he is a chatter box."

Georgie flinched and whirled around. Mary Poppins stood on the threshold and seemed to talk to someone, the children couldn't see.

"Oh, and you had to stand that three weeks long?", Mary Poppins sniffed slightly, "Well, imagine you'd have to bear that daily from morning until night."

The nanny turned to the children and arched an eyebrow, "Haven't I told you to go change?"

John frowned, "No, you just..."

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, "Then go and do it, now, we don't have the whole day."

Georgie watched the sparrow that had jumped onto the window sill and now looked into the room with a tilted head for a moment longer.

"Georgie, you too.", Mary Poppins' voice cut through the air and the boy turned around and disappeared into the bathroom with a heavy heart.

Mary Poppins stepped nearer to the sparrow.

"Well, haven't you chose the perfect place to nest?", she said and opened the window to let the small bird in.

"I have, haven't I?", the ladder chirped as he jumped with a hop on the floor beneath Mary Poppins' feet, "You think so? Well, I must say I got it very well this year. But my nests have never been overly bad."

Mary Poppins lifted an eyebrow, "Oh? And what about the nest under the bridge? Whenever it rained it got wet outside _and _inside."

The sparrow looked at her with wide eyes, "T-That was a long time ago!"

Mary Poppins laughed slightly, "If _you_ say so."

The sparrow shook himself, "Yes, I say so. And you aren't any better, anyways. "

Mary Poppins' eyes widened, "Oh?"

The bird spread its wings and pulled a black feather from under it that had annoyed him.

"Yes.", he chirped enthusiastically, "You're here for the _third_ time. And I had thought you would only come to every family _once_."

Mary Poppins lifted an eyebrow, "No, no, no, you got that _completely_ wrong. I come to those families that _need _me. And they usually only need me once. It seems as if the the Banks family is the great exception."

The sparrow cackled slightly and shook his beak as if he was laughing.

"Well, well, just keep telling yourself that, Mary Poppins.", he said and hopped back onto the window sill, "I have to go, now. 'Til we meet again, 'til we meet again."

And he threw the feathered head back, cackled a last time, spread his wings and glided through the air just like he had learnt it when he was a small bird.

Mary Poppins shook her head in disbelief.

"Such a thing.", she said, "A rude sparrow like that one hasn't crossed my way in a long time."

"Who did you talk to?", Georgie's voice sounded as the boy stepped out off the bathroom.

"Keep your ears to yourself, Georgie Banks.", Mary Poppins said and Georgie duck his head.

"I'm sorry, Mary Poppins.", he murmured.

Annabel and John frowned.

"Why is Georgie apologising?", John asked in curiosity.

Mary Poppins opened the nursery door and said, without listening to John, "Time to go, children."

Before Annabel could move a toe, Mary Poppins had already withdrawn from the nursery and was down on the landing, waiting for the children patiently.

A few minutes later they all walked up the street, Mary Poppins first.

"Where are we going?", Georgie asked excitedly.

"Maybe to Bert's, again.", Annabel though aloud and watched Mary Poppins who stepped forwards with tight steps.

But they didn't go into the right direction so they could've visited Bert.

Instead they went into a direction which's end Annabek knew very well.

"The zoo!", she shouted and at the same time Georgie's face lit up.

The zoo, the zoo!", and he hopped along the sidewalk in front of Mary Poppins.

"Georgie.", Mary Poppins said reproachful and rolled her eyes.

The boy grinned from ear to ear and said, "But, Mary Poppins, the _zoo_!"

They turned around three corners, crossed the street and stood before the entry of the zoo.

"Wow.", Georgie coo-ed and stared at the bright red arch that hung a few metres above their heads.

'The London Zoo' was written in golden letters and a painted elephant decorated the red brick wall.

"Unbelievable.", Annabel said.

Mary Poppins tilted her head.

She nodded, "Definitely."

Then she put a hand on Georgie's back and gently pushed him through the entry.

"The zebras, first to the zebras!", Annabek shouted some time later as Mary Poppins and the children stepped onto the dusty street of the zoo.

This time it were the children who were first and Mary Poppins brought up the rear.

"Zebras are boring.", John said and stared at the brochure in his hands, "Monkeys are _way _better."

Georgie shrugged, "I like all the animals."

Mary Poppins nodded with a smile, "All or nothing, that's my motto."

It got them a while until they had reached the zebras and it got them even longer until they had watched the striped once enough and made their way to the next enclosure.

This enclosure was very big with a wall of glass and a tight, high barbed wire surrounding it and full of fronds and grass and trees.

Wherever you looked, green.

Even a small brook made its way through the enclosure.

And before one of the children could even open his mouth to ask what in heaven's name lived behind those barricades, a tall, striped cat stepped into their sight and looked at them from big, black pond-eyes.

"A tiger.", Annabel whispered in fascination but Georgie ran over to Mary Poppins' side and pressed his face into her blouse.

"Ah, ah, ah, Georgie.", the nanny said reproachfully, "The tiger won't harm you."

Georgie lifted his eyes and looked up at Mary Poppins as well as he could manage.

"But he would if he just could.", he protested.

But Mary Poppins only rolled her eyes, "And if I tell you the tiger was a good friend of mine and we could have a little talk with him you would say 'no'?"

John threw his head back and laughed.

"T-The tiger...a good friend of yours!", he giggled and stamped his foot, "Oh, Mary Poppins, how funny you are!"

Mary Poppins pouted indignantly, "So you don't believe me?"

She turned to leave, "Very well then, if you don't want to talk to the tiger then we'll head to the monkeys."

But Annabel jumped at her side and leapt for her arm.

"No.", she hurried, "We want to."

And she threw John a furious look.

Mary Poppins took a sharp breath and whirled around on her heels, a bright smile on her lips.

"I do hope so.", she said and stood next to Georgie and John.

"Take my hand.", the nanny ordered and as soon as three hands kept their hold on her -Georgie and John took her hand and Annabel hooked her arm under Mary Poppins'- she pushed the tip of her umbrella into the dusty ground with her free hand and said firmly, "Scippity-scop."

And surrounded by a cloud of dust, swirled up by the push of the umbrella, the children closed their eyes and when they opened them again, they stood in the middle of a green field.

And in front of them, only a meter apart from them, stood an enormous-big tiger and stared at them with raised chops as if he was hungry.

Georgie flinched back in fear and pressed himself into Mary Poppins' side.

The nanny only rolled her eyes, took his hand and approached the tiger.

"How wonderful to see you again.", she said firmly and folded her hands in front of her body, "It's been a long time, I know, but I had little time for a visit in the zoo."

Carefully John leant towards his twin sister and whispered, "She's truly crazy, that's what she is."

But then they saw how Mary Poppins stretched out her hand, wide from her with a long arm and the tiger tilted its head and tapped closer on huge paws.

"Be careful!", John shouted as he saw how the tiger reached out for Mary Poppins' hand but it became stuck in his throat as he saw how the tiger licked over her hand with his huge tongue.

"Mary Poppins.", his voice roared through the enclosure like a thunder roared across the sky, "We haven't met in a long time. You've missed much."

Mary Poppins implied a bow, "And _how _sorry I am, you can't imagine."

The tiger lowered his head deliberately and neared Annabel, John and Georgie. The latter backed away.

"And it seems you've brought lunch, how thoughtful of you."

Mary Poppins let out a small laughter, "Rajah, no. These are the children of Michael Banks, I'm their nanny."

And she turned to the children and said, "Don't be so rude, you three, and kindly introduce yourselves."

Annabel's voice trembled when she said, "Annabel Banks."

"I'm John.", John said.

Georgie was the only one that couldn't bring anything over his lips.

"Sir Rajah Madan, King of Gujarat.", the tiger said and majestically shook his head.

_That_ got Georgie's attention.

"King?", he said and carefully stepped closer to the tiger, "You're a king?"

The tiger nodded and licked his jaws, "I once was, a long time ago. Before the caught me and brought me here. Now I'm only king of this small enclosure, incomparable to the immensities of Gujarat."

Georgie lowered his head, "How awful."

But the tiger shook his head, "Oh, you're getting used to it."

Slowly he lowered himself to the ground and laid the huge head on his paws.

Georgie knelt before him, "Where is Gujarat? I've never heard of it."

Then Rajah closed his eyes and when he opened them again, there was a strange sparkle in his eyes.

"Gujarat.", he started dreamingly, "Gujarat lies in India, it reaches from the vastness of the ocean in the south to the borders of the desert Thar in the north and in the west it borders on the lands of Pakistan whilst it lies at the borders of Maharashtra in the east.

Crossed by rivers and lakes and full of fresh grass and oases, with sand as far as the eyes can see and not a living soul in reach it's the paradise of India, if you want to call it that."

Rajah's chops twitched slightly, "Well, that's how it was when I was still king of Gujarat. Today it's surely not the same."

The big tiger licked his paws and looked up to Georgie, his voice husky when he asked, "Have you ever been there? In India?"

Georgie shook his head.

Rajah nodded, "It's far away from here, you know, too hot for your rough skin."

Mary Poppins had been strangely quiet the whole time and just now she took a step towards the majestic, striped cat and said, with a strange undertone in her voice, "Rajah, you must je very lonely, all by yourself in this enclosure."

The tiger turned his head and blinked at Mary Poppins through big, brown eyes.

"Oh yes, awfully lonely.", he said and laid his head back onto his paws, "Without family or friends..."

Georgie jumped up at that and shouted, "I could be your friend!"

And Mary Poppins smiled knowingly as Rajah raised his head and said, "I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Georgie sank onto the ground right next to the tiger and looked Rajah in the eyes, "Have you ever been out there in Londin?"

Rajah shook his head.

"Oh.", Georgie said, "'Cause, you know, I always go to the football pitch with my friends and we play ball and hide-and-seek. And sometimes father gives us some pennies so we can go and buy some candies from the candywoman in the park and on our way back we pass the cathedral of Saint Paul's and there sits the funny bird woman and we give her tuppence for her birds."

Georgie sighed and looked at the tiger, "I would love to show you all that."

He turned around to Mary Poppins and asked, "Mary Poppins, do you think one day Rajah will see all this?"

And Mary Poppins turned her gaze to the distance where the dense green bordered on the barbed wire fence and said, "Anything can happen if you truly want it."

And they were content with that, Georgie and Rajah, who once had been King of Gujarat and now only ruled over an enclosure in the London Zoo.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

It was late afternoon when Mary Poppins and the children entered the hallway of Cherry Tree Lane Number 17 again.

Georgie kicked his shoes from his feet and ran into the living room where Michael sat over his documents.

"Father, Father!", he shouted and Michael started up with a jerk.

"Yes, Georgie?"

"You won't believe what happened today!"

Michael put pen and papers aside and smiled at his son, "Really? Well, then, tell me."

And Georgie took a deep breath.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_And when you're outside, looking in_ _-Who's there to open the door?_ -_That's what friends are for!_

_~ That What Friends Are For, The Jungle Book, **The Vultures**_


	10. A gift like no other

**A/N: I am so so so so so sorry!**

**I know it has been a long time (like three weeks or something...) since my last update but...I truthfully**

**1 just didn't have the motivation to write this chapter...and**

**2 I had a really good time writing my book (I'm writing a book, yes:) and so I didn't have time to write this...**

**Well, I'm not satisfied with what I've written here but I really don't want to keep you guys waiting (because I know how hard it is if you're waiting for an update and the time just slips aways WITHOUT one...I, for my part, absolutely loath it.)**

**Anyways...I'm so happy that you seem to like this story and everytime I get the email from that someone "just posted a review" I'm like "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! They write comments!" (as if writing a comment would be such a rare thing lol)**

**I just want to say that I appreciate it so very much!**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**Phantom Actress: Yes, it was. Thanks!**

**Chibidawn23: Well...kinda. It's inspired by Rajah from Aladdin...I love that you love it;) And we'll see...**

**DISCLAIMER: Still not owning anything but the new characters I created in this story...**

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

**Chapter TEN**

**A gift like no other**

"Hurry."

Quick, quiet steps hurried across the room, a door opened and closed again and the small lamp on the cupboard in the hallway was lightened.

"But it's so early.", Georgie complained and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Seepily, he rubbed across his eyes and blinked against the bright light that surrounded the person in Front elf hin like a halo. It fit her.

"Oh, fuss, fuss, fuss.", Mary Poppins uttered and tilted her head to one side to look at Georgie, "Go and see when Ellen will be ready with the cake."

Georgie turned to leave but Mary Poppins pulled him back with a grip on the boy's collar, "And tell your father to get ready."

Mary Poppins intertwined her long fingers and looked after Georgie, who slowly stepped down the stairs and disappeared from her sight. She sight gently. Behind the heavy, red curtains the sun began to rise like a fire on the horizon that would bring chaos over the whole town, but in the end it would gift them with joyful hustle and bustle.

"Be careful.", Mary Poppins almost flinched, that's how much she'd been sunken in her own thoughts.

Down on the landing Georgie had took Ellen's arm and led the housekeeper upstairs for the elder woman couldn't look over the rim of the cake.

"Step, step, step and stopp.", Georgie said and led Ellen so that she stood with her back to him and Mary Poppins.

"So? How did it turn out, Mary Poppins?", the elder woman asked and Georgie giggled behind a raised hand.

"Very well, Ellen.", Mary Poppins answered firmly and watched how Ellen carefully turned her head and, with the cake trembling dangerously in her hands, looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, Georgie!", she uttered and turned around, "Mary Poppins, if you'd be so kind and give that rude brat a thick ear? I'm busy here."

Georgie's laughter immediately silenced and he looked at Mary Poppins with big ears.

But Mary Poppins stood still as a post and didn't move a muscle.

Only when Michael Banks stepped down the small staircase from his bedroom, she drew closer to the bedroom door of the twins and gently pushed down the handle.

The gentle light that shone from the hallway into the room was the only light and Mary Poppins quickly neared Annabel's bed and lit the light on the nightstand.

Then she nodded towards the others.

"_For they're a jolly good fellow, for they're a jolly good fellow. For they're a jolly good fellow...and so say all of us_!",

They all sang together, George and Ellen and Michael and Mary Poppins, and smiled at John and Annabel, who blinked against the bright light.

Slowly, the twins sat up, looked at each other and a grin formed on their lips. Then they threw back the blankets and jumped up to blow out the candles.

"On three?", John asked and his sister nodded.

"One, two, three."

And when all the candles were blown out, they fell into each other's arms.

Carefully, Ellen put the big birthday cake on the desk and opened her arms, "Come here, you two."

She pulled the twins in a tight embrace, "Happy Birthday."

Michael kissed his two eldest on the cheeks and smiled, "Happy Birthday. And Jack and Jane congratulate, too, they will be there in the afternoon for the party."

Mary Poppins already stood in the door when the hopeful looks of the birthday children reached her.

She sighed inaudibly.

"Happy Birthday, Annabel. Happy Birthday, John.", she eventually said and the twins' smile formed to a broad grin.

"Who wants cake for breakfast?", Ellen said and immediately the silence was met by three joyful screams and the children swept down the stairs into the dining room.

Mary Poppins rolled her eyes, "Children."

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

"So?", Jane asked and her smile was almost as broad as those of the twins, "What did you get so far?"

Annabel's eyes widened with joy, "Oh, such wonderful things! A glass filler and a notebook from father and a bowl of sweets from Denmark from Ellen. A voucher for four scoops of ice cream from my friends and a bracelet from Arthur."

At this point, Michael's lips formed to an 'O' and he drew closer to his daughter, "Who is Arthur?"

Annabel waved with her hand, "Not now, father, _please_."

Jane tilted her head and led her niece to the couch, were they sat down, "I'm very interested in the question's answer, too."

Annabel felt how the red crept into her face, the shame burnt on her cheeks, although there was nothing to be ashamed of.

"Who is Arthur?", Jane repeated the questions that father had asked Annabel before.

"He's just a boy from school.", Annabel murmured, "He-He is my date for the summer ball."

Jane's eyes widened, "Oh, really?"

Annabel nodded and Jane grinned like a little girl.

"Oh, Annabel, that's wonderful.", she said, "Does Michael know?"

Annabel shook her head, "If he had, he wouldn't have asked who he is, right?",

Jane nodded, "You should tell him, Annabel, the sooner the better."

Then a smile crept onto her lips, "So, tell me, os he here? This Arthur-boy?"

Anabel shook her head once again, "He gave me the bracelet yesterday in class. He was sure his father wouldn't let him come today. He's so much to do these days at home."

Jane tilted her head and eyed Annabel for a while.

Then she rose from her place, "Well, I'll go and join my dear brother at the table."

Annabel nodded unconsciously.

Behind the closed curtains it was already dark and the sun sunk behind the horizon and took even the smallest bit of light with it.

Annabel sighed.

"I'm going to go take my presents upstairs.", she said to no one in particular and disappeared up the stairs.

She pulled the bedroom door to a close and sank down onto her bed, her hand finding the pendant that hung around her neck on a thin leather strap. It was a small, thumb-sized shell -beautiful how Annabel thought.

"The birthday girl shouldn't be moping on her birthday."

Annabel's head snapped up.

"Arthur!"

The boy sat, just like last time, on the banister of the balcony and grinned at Annabel.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest and she quickly ran outside, "How come that you made it?"

Arthur grinned, "You'd like to know, right?"

He slipped from the banister and sank on the floor next to Annabel, his back against the white-painted wooden post. Annabel's heart seemed to pound even faster as his hand laid between them, so...greedy, as if he wanted her to take it.

He tilted his head back and looked up into the sky, were slowly the cloud cover was ripped apart to free the shining of the stars.

"I had to fight a dragon and bring a wicked witch three ingredients for her secret-secretively potion, so I could reach the fairy godmother who gifted me with luck for my final fight against the demon of the lower world.", his hands painted in the air, supported his words.

Arthur always spoke with the big gestures, seemed to make the stories he told, true with his hands.

Annabel grinned at the boy, "Oh, really? And what were these three ingredients, you had to bring the wicked witch?"

Arthur jumped up and began pacing through the room, searching for something.

"Oh, it were the three most difficult tasks I ever had to do.", he told her, whilst he looked around, searching, then his face brightened up and he showed Annabel a glassy bottle, "I had to catch the bright light of a lightening in a bottle and..."

Again he placed up and down in the room until he'd found what he'd searched and handed it to Annabel. It was the preserving jar, in which Georgie had tried to keep a family of snails, last year.

"I had to catch the laughter of an imp and the tears of an oak tree on a layer of moss."

Annabel suppressed a giggle.

They suddenly were so close.

Annabel, with her back against the balcony banister, the knees pulled to her chest, and Arthur who knelt in front of her, the elbows resting on her knees.

Annabel's heart pounded faster.

"That", she started and gently cleared her throat, "That's some kind of an adventure story."

Arthur nodded, his gaze lingering on her lips, "Only the most adventurous adventure stories."

Then his lips met hers and Annabel's heart beat one somersault after the other.

She felt how Arthur's fingers gently pushed against her cheek, his thumb stroking her cheekbone.

It was as if every thought had left her mind all at once.

And when Arthur pulled back they swept back in, together with the red that burnt on her cheeks from excitement.

"Y-Yes.", Annabel stuttered, "Just the...most adventurous."

And when their lips met this time, she smiled.

Arthur was so...gentle, so...kind and-

"Anna-", the bedroom door was pulled opened, "ANNABEL!"

Arthur stumbled back and almost fell backwards onto the floor.

Michael stood in the threshold, the hands on his hips like Mary Poppins always did.

"What's going in in here?!"

And he'd never looked more terrifying.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

_Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight._

_I need help believing, you're with me tonight._

_~ As Long As You're Mine, WICKED, **Idina Menzel **and **Norbert Leo Butz**_


	11. Under cover of darkness

**A/N: Wuh, I made it in time...it's still sunday:)**

**So...in this chapter there'll be a comeback from a character that already appeared in this story...**

**I really hope you like it:)**

**Write a comment if you like...I always appreciate that:)**

**Cu**

**IceK**

**Chibidawn23: Thank you very much for the comment...and yes...Annabel indeed is busted:)**

**Phantom Actress: Thanks. And here is his reaction...**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own anything.**

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**Chapter ELEVEN**

**Under cover of darkness**

It was dark.

The night had already swallowed every single light and wouldn't give it back until dawn and darkness had seized power over all of London.

A cat hissed in the distance and the loud call of an eagle owl echoed through the Cherry Tree Lane.

In house number 17 there was still light.

The staircase, the parlour and the living room were brightly lit -one; for Michael Banks who paced up and down in the room in front of his daughter and this boy, a stranger to him, and for Mary Poppins who stood in the threshold with her arms crossed in front of her chest and from time to time met the scared look of Annabel with a calming smile.

Then there was the parlour, lit for Ellen, who sat, with a piece of cake in her lap in the big wing chair and intensively try to catch the words spoken in the room next to her. And at last there was the staircase where Georgie and John Banks sat and tried to eavesdrop just as eagerly as Ellen did.

"I want an explanation, Annabel Banks.", Michael just said and it seemed as if he was just as nervous as his daughter, "No 'You don't need to freak out like that'. Because, believe me when I say that I do have the right to freak out."

Annabel lowered her look to her hands she had folded in her lap.

"But", she began sheepishly, "I don't know what there is to explain, father. I-I don't even know how it happened, I-"

Michael came to a halt, stiff as a stick, and threw Arthur, who sat next to Annabel on a chair and felt visibly uncomfortable, a glance that let shivers run down Annabel's spine, "There's much to explain, Annabel. And there're even more unanswered questions. How long is this going on already, I want to know, what makes you think, you wouldn't have to _talk _ to someone? You haven't even _tried _ to do so -I'm sure, Mary Poppins would've been willing to listen, had you asked her."

Mary Poppins only blinked in a restrained manner, but stayed silent like before.

Annabel kneaded her hands nervously, "I-I didn't _want _ to talk about it. There was nothing I could've talked about, father."

Michael rubbed over his neck. He always did that when he was angry.

"There are things you _have _ to talk about with someone, Annabel, no matter if you want to.", he sank down onto the arm chair in the corner of the living room and stroked over his forehead.

Annabek threw Arthur an apologetic look. The boy smiled.

"There was no _reason_, father.", Annabel protested, "And I already talked to Jane, anyways. At least a little bit."

Michael shot up from his place in the arm chair, "You talked to Jane? When?"

Annabel knit her brows together, "This afternoon, I only told her that Arthur is a boy from school who'll be my date for the summer ball."

She threw Arthur a quickly glimpse.

Michael raised an eyebrow, "The summer ball? So there was indeed something you could've talked about."

Annabel sighed, "And I have. I talked to Jane and she was happy for me, which can't be said about you. There really is nothing you'd have to worry about, father."

Michael crossed his arms in front of his chest as if he wouldn't know what to do with them, "Oh, there's much a father worries about when his daughter approaches this age, Annabel, believe me, there is. I can remember very well how my father reacted when he caught Jane with a boy and even though I thought he'd be overreacting back then, I now know that his worries were absolutely justified."

A small snort sounded from the door, but when they all turned around to face Mary Poppins, she looked completely normal. Interested, one could say, as if she was watching a play.

"Who knows what girls that age do. I can't now, Annabel.", Michael didn't seem to want to stop his rambling, "And I think I don't even want to know. I'm just worried that you rush to decisions and I really don't want to be grandfather with 36, in the end, and-"

Annabel felt the blood rushing into her cheeks, "Father! I'm _thirteen_!"

Mary Poppins cleared her throat audibly and took two steps into the room, "Michael, I really don't want to interrupt you" -Annabel arched an eyebrow- "but I fear I have to escort the young gentleman to the door; his father surely worries about him and we want to spare him the needless trouble, don't we?"

And before Michael had the chance to say something, the nanny had already taken both Arthur's and Annabel's arm and disappeared out the door with them.

On the landing, Georgie and John winced terribly when suddenly Mary Poppins stood before them.

"I'd thought so.", the nanny said and rolled with her eyes, "Go to your room, _now_. You too, Annabel. I'll be with you in no time."

She looked after the Banks-children until she heard the closing of the door, then she turned to the boy next to her, "And you should hurry home, young man."

She opened the front door and let him slip through it.

With a slight blink, she stuck her head through the small door gap -the head and nothing else, for even though it was warm over the day, the nights still were ice-cold, and she didn't want to be cold- and said, "And just knock at the door the next time before you'll have to climb up the rose grid."

Then she closed the door.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

"What did you do to him?"

Mary Poppins blinked, closed the door and smoothed her apron, "_What_ are you talking about?"

Annabel crossed her arms, "You know very well what I mean. You surely did something terrible to him."

The nanny was busy looking at herself in the mirror and straightening her hairdo, "I sent him home, Annabel, nothing more."

Annabel frowned, "No magic spelling him? No 'snap' and he won't ever come back?"

Mary Poppins paused for a moment. Her look was furious, "Why, where do you get your ideas from? Me? _Magic spelling_? The very _idea_."

She shook her head.

"Mary Poppins?"

"Yes, Georgie?"

The boy gave her a lopsided smile, "John and I saw that you didn't eat any cake this morning."

John nodded in confirmation, "And we thought..."

He reached for something beneath Georgie's bed and pulled out a plate with a piece of the birthday cake on it, "We just bring you a piece of it up here so you can eat it without any haste."

Mary Poppins gave the boys a gentle smile, "Why, isn't that kind of you, children, but I fear this isn't the time to have cake."

She turned to the arm chair where her good, red coat hung. Not the one with the jagged pattern but the bright red one that matched her red shoes so very well. She hadn't worn it in such a long time.

Slowly, she slipped into it, put on her black hat and turned to the children.

"What are you doing?", Georgie asked curiously.

"I'm going out."

"Out?", Annabel echoed, "Can we come with you?"

Mary Poppins laughed slightly, "Come with me? Certainly not."

"And why not?", John asked.

The nanny tilted her head to one side and tapped against the feather of her hat with a finger, so it slightly bobbed up and down, then she took a deep breath and said, "Well, on seconds thoughts...and today's your birthday, after all...he would surely be happy to see you on this occasion."

Annabel frowned, "Who?"

"Enough questions.", Mary Poppins said sharply, "It's time for an outing. Get your coats, children, and a scarf would certainly do no harm."

She took her umbrella from its place on top of her carpet bag and turned to the mirror to -once again- straighten her hairdo.

"And now, down into the living room, if you please.", Mary Poppins ordered as soon as the Banks-children stood before her, all dressed in coat and scarf, "Spit Spot."

Now you should know that down in the living room was where the big fire place was, whose flue ended in a big chimney on the rooftop -and this very fire place would play a vital part of this adventure.

For when Mary Poppins and the children had arrived in the living room, Mary Poppins did something extremely disconcerting.

She pushed against the back wall of the fire place with the tip of her umbrella, so that the soot flurried out of the fire place and coloured the hem of her red coat black -and it didn't even seem to bother the nanny. No, she even _smiled _ at the sight of her dirty coat and this smile deepened when suddenly a shrill whistle was carried through the flue shaft into the living room.

The children flinched and Georgie threw a worried look towards his siblings, "What was that?"

But instead of answering, Mary Poppins gently pushed the boy closer to the fire place, one foot in front of the small step as if she was fighting a power that was hidden from their eyes that tried to pull her into the flue shaft.

"You worry too much, Georgie Banks.", Mary Poppins said sharply and it almost sounded like an order.

She pushed the youngest of the Banks-children closer and closer to the fireplace until-

A sudden strong gust of wind swept through the room; a gust of wind that blew straight into the flue shaft and pulled Georgie with it. And faster than a waiter could pull out his pen, the boy had disappeared.

"Georgie!", Annabel shouted in shock and stumbled towards Mary Poppins who eyed herself in the polished stone of the mantelpiece as if nothing had happened, "Mary Poppins, you have to-"

"I _have_ to do nothing, Annabel.", the nanny interrupted her and she teared herself from her own reflection, sighing, as if it had been a great effort of will to do so, "The very idea...Follow me, children, don't dawdle."

And then, as if it was a normal thing to do, Mary Poppins stepped into the fire place, opened up her umbrella and reached out for the children's hands; expectant, patient.

And they took it, quickly, before a second gust of wind caught all three of them and whirled them up the fuel shaft. Up the dark, black, dirty fuel to the chimney on the rooftop he carried them, as if they weighed nothing.

They blinked heavily against the soot that was whirled into their faces, so they were completely covered in it.

And when the soot slowly rose and freed the view, all three of them stared at what was before them, open-mouthed.

For, hemmed with hundreds of chimneys, an alley of rooftops and walls led through London, how they'd never seen it before. Well, Mary Poppins had seen it already. -quite a few times, to speak the truth.

And on the small chimney from Miss Lark, whose house was right next to the number 17, there sat someone. A man in black cord trousers and a black vest, with a red scarf around his neck and a funny hat on his head.

"Isn't that-?", Georgie started, who'd joined his siblings a few moments ago, but he was interrupted by the man, who said, with a deep and joyful voice, "Why, Mary, it seems you've taken care of good company."

Mary Poppins quickly stepped towards Bert, for it was Bert who sat there on the chimney, with that childlike smile that painfully reminded Mary Poppins of his younger self, and let herself being pulled up onto the empty space next to him on the chimney.

A laughter erupted from her throat, a laughter, the children had never heard from her. A _giggle_, you could almost say. But they all knew, that Mary Poppins would _never _ giggle. It wasn't ladylike, how she said.

And yet; her white teeth blinked in the moonlight for a short second and she threw her head back like a small child. Then she leant towards Bert and whispered something into his ear.

Bert's face brightened up, his smile became a grin and with some inaudible words, he patted Mary Poppins' hand and jumped from the chimney and walked with long steps to the Banks-children.

"As far as I'm concerned", he said and offered Annabel and John a hand, "It's your birthday today and it would be so very rude of me would I not wish you the world's greatest luck."

"Thank you.", the twins said.

Georgie tilted his head to one side and looked at Bert curiously, "Why are you here?"

Bert smiled, "But shouldn't the question be; 'Why are _you_ here'? For I'd thought, Mary and I would finally have some time for the two of us tonight."

"But Bert, you know how the children are.", Mary Poppins said from her place on the edge of the chimney, who had been busy wiping away the soot from her skirt.

"And _how _ I know."

Annabel made a few steps towards the chimney where Mary Poppins sat, trying the hardest not to pay attention to the edge of the gable that started only a few centimetres from her feet, and clutched the cold tone of the chimney with a relieved sigh, "And what were you planning on doing up here? It's not as if you could do that much on a _rooftop_."

She eyed Mary Poppins with a searching look as if expecting an unusual answer.

But before Mary Poppins could do so much as open her mouth, the deep voice of Bert sounded, "Watch the stars."

John frowned, "Watch the stars? Isn't that terribly boring?"

He helped Georgie onto the chimney and then hoisted himself up.

"Boring?", Mary Poppins almost sounded indignant, as if she'd been insulted and sniffed, "Just using the word 'boring' in the same sentence as 'stars', I find unimaginably rude. Insulting, you might even say."

Bert nodded in confirmation as he let himself fall onto the roof and started swinging his legs, "The stars are in no way boring. They are the opposite; interesting, beautiful...perfect. More perfect than any of us, I'd dare to say."

Mary Poppins' eyes widened in outrage, "What was that? Well _really_!"

Bert gave her an apologetic smile and quickly added, "The exception proves the rule."

The nanny sniffed slightly, but a smile formed on her lips anyways, "I certainly hope so."

Georgie tilted his head, "I don't get it. What could be so very interesting about stars?"

Bert pointed up into the sky where millions of stars draped the night sky, like diamonds on a black cloth, "Look."

And the children all tilted their heads back and looked up, saw how the stars seemed to shine a race.

"It's...", John began, but Annabel interrupted him with a hiss.

After that, it was completely silent.

There was only the rustling of the cherry trees down in the Cherry Tree Lane and the barking of a dog in the distance.

And up in the sky the stars seemed to dance, the way they shimmered across the blackness of the sky, to a music they -the people down here on earth- couldn't hear.

And suddenly one of the stars fell from the sky -just liked that, as if he'd by all sudden forgotten how to fly.

"A shooting star.", Bert said quietly before one of the Banks-children could voice their shock, "Wish for something."

And Annabel, John and Georgie looked over to Mary Poppins who crossed her arms in front of her breast and closed her eyes, and they did it after her.

It was so wonderful up here on the rooftop. There was something about the stars, so that you felt strangely secure under the cover of their shining, like you felt in the arms of your mother or in those of Mary Poppins.

"It is getting late.", Mary Poppins' voice suddenly sounded and disturbed the comfortable silence, "And children that get themselves into trouble all day long should be in bed. And birthday children all the more."

She smoothed her skirt and stood up, looking at the children, waiting, "Off we go, Spit Spot."

With the most heartbreaking sighs, London at night had ever heard, the three Banks-children stood up and trudged to the chimney of house number 17.

Mary Poppins followed them with steady steps as if she wouldn't walk on a small roof gable but on an ordinary street.

"Just down.", she said and pointed down into the fuel shaft that rose above the rooftop like a dark abyss.

One after the other, the children disappeared down the chimney.

Mary Poppins stepped forwards, with one foot already on the edge of the chimney, when-

"Mary?"

She turned around and smiled at the man behind her, "Yes, Bert?"

A smile played about his lips, not as childlike as it used to be, but rather sensibly and maybe a little bit sad.

"I missed this."

Mary Poppins gave him one of her particularly beautiful smiles; sadness and joy struggling to dominate the look in her eyes, "I did, too, Bert. You can't even imagine, _how _ much."

And she stepped forwards, right into the chimney shaft, and was completely swallowed by darkness.

That way, Bert's words were met by nothing more than the silence of night.

"Au revoir, Mary Poppins. Don't stay away too long."

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_Trying to keep your head up high_

_While you're trembling, that's when the magic happens_

_And the stars gather by, by your side_

_~Spirit, The Lion King 2019, **Beyoncé**_


	12. Reality

**A/N:**

**Why, hello.**

**I'm a bit early but there is a reason... I'm on my to Denmark where I'll spend the last two weeks of my summer holiday with my whooooole family (which might get pretty exhausting over the course of two weeks...having four little cousins who constantly want to play) and we were driving from one traffic jam to the next one and we've now (17:00) already spent 11 hours in the car and they're still 2 1/2 hours to go... so I got a lot of time to write and...yes...**

**Sadly I'm not sure if I'm going to update next Saturday/Sunday because...holidays and all;)**

**So...in this chapter our dear Mary Poppins will be a little bit more...open towards Ellen and Jane.**

**Write a comment, I would love to read them:)**

**Cu**

**IceK**

**JOHNHAMMOND1993: Thank you very much;) That's what it's supposed to do...A song for Admiral Boom...oh, he's such a lovely character. I would've loved to see the song in the film itself. Thank you for telling me. It made my day:) And a new reader that comments... love it!;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any character that appears, too, in Mary Poppins Returns or Mary Poppins. What I do own is this story and all the characters I created.**

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**Chapter TWELVE**

**Reality**

The sun shone with full power through the window into the dining room as if it would give them a smile and wish them a good morning.

"What are we going to do today, Mary Poppins?", John asked and wiped the crumbs from his lap -unnoticed.

Mary Poppins saw it anyways.

"It looks like you are going to help Ellen clean if you must give her more to do.", the nanny said with a small pout.

John's eyes widened, "But we haven't been on an adventure for _so long_."

Mary Poppins blinked at the boy in front of her, "Why, really? So, you've been thirteen for _so long_, too?"

John loweres his gaze.

"No.", he mumbled, "But-"

"No 'but'", the nanny interrupted, "Today is not a day for grand adventures."

She folded her napkin and put it beside her plate.

Annabel crossed her arms in front of her chest, "And why not?"

Mary Poppins took a deep breath -Ellen threw her an amused glance.

"Because", she began slowly, "I said so. And if I hear another word, ..."

She let the unspoken end of her sentence linger in the air as though it was a constant reminder that she could pack her things and leave _any_ time.

Michael cleared his throat at the other end of the table and said with a sigh, "I'm afraid, I have to withdraw into my office for the day. Work tracks me down even on free Saturday mornings."

He stood up and looked at his children with a smile, "Behave."

He bent down to John.

"We don't want to risk that our whole luck sweeps out with a sniff.", he whispered with a look at Mary Poppins who stared back with a deadpan look.

Then he turned around and left the room with fast steps as though something was waiting for him that wasn't as bothering as the thought of a morning full of work.

Mary Poppins looked at the Banks-children, one after the other, silently.

Then she snorted almost inaudibly, "Children, kindly clean off the table. Georgie, your fingers are covered in marmalade. Wash your hands and then off you go into the garden. You don't have to spend the day inside."

Annabel looked at the nanny with a frown, "Do I have to, too? I haven't done my homework yet and-"

But Mary Poppins only looked at the girl in front of her with a stern look and said, "You don't have to spend the day inside and homework are getting done in the garden just as well."

She watched how John put the plates onto each other and balanced the forks and knives on the top of the stack.

"Have fun with...", he lifted his gaze and quickly eyed Mary Poppins and seemed to come to the decision that there wasn't much the two of them could have fun with, "Whatever."

Then he turned around and pulled Georgie with him at his arm, "Annabel."

The girl rolled with her eyes in annoyance.

"How am I supposed to _concentrate_ out there.", she groaned but Mary Poppins knew exactly that _this_ wasn't the problem.

For since the girl had been given her new colour book, she sat at her desk and painted the whole day long.

The nanny threw a quick glance to the hallway and saw how the three children slipped through the front door.

Ellen stood up with a moan and threw Mary Poppins an amused glance, "You _do_ have a special talent when it comes to children."

Mary Poppins slightly turned up her nose, "Thank you, Ellen."

She grabbed the stack of plates from the table and hurried through the door.

Ellen rolled with her eyes.

"Always going for nothing but the _very_ best, that woman.", she murmured and followed the nanny into the kitchen, marmalade and breakfast-cupcakes balancing on her hands.

In the kitchen, Mary Poppins had already let water into the sink, the sleeves of her good blouse -of course, Mary Poppins possessed nothing _but_ good blouses-rolled up and gently shoved the dishes into the hot water.

To give the devil the due, Ellen thought as she watched her with knit eyebrows, even though Mary Poppins was a very... well, _proper_ woman, she became another person as soon as their was work to be done.

The Mary Poppins that had just sent the children into the garden would never have gotten the idea to wash the dirty dishes.

But now; here she was with her arms to the elbows in the water, washing the plates.

"Ellen, lend me a hand for drying, if you please.", Mary Poppins said and put the first plate on the counter.

Quickly Ellen made two steps forwards and picked up the towel from the table.

She smiled calmly when she started drying the first plate.

"Oh, this reminds me of the old times.", she said, "My mother and I always did the dishes together."

She looked at Mary Poppins and lightly tilted her head to one side, "Truth to be told, you somehow remind me of her."

The nanny stood still for a moment, "Of whom?"

Ellen took the second plate from the counter, "Of my mother."

Mary Poppins' eyes widened.

"I remind you of your _mother_?", she exclaimed and it sounded almost shocked.

She sniffed, "Well, thank you _very much_."

When she put the next plate down onto the counter, it crashed.

Ellen flinched back and looked at Mary Poppins in shock.

"Is-"

But just then kitchen door was pushed open with such power that it slammed against the wall and Mary Poppins and Ellen turned around and already wanted to run, fully convinced that something terrible must have happened to one of the children.

But it was just Jane who stood there. Just Jane, with wide eyes and heavy breaths.

"Ellen.", she said and closed the door, "Mary Poppins, it's good that you're here, too."

The nanny arched an eyebrow, "I should certainly hope so."

Ellen put away plate and towel and pointed at a chair for Jane to sit down whilst Mary Poppins quickly dried her hands, "What's going on?"

Jane sank onto the chair, breathless, and stared at her hands that laid folded in her lap.

"Oh, so much.", she started and thankfully took the glass of water from Mary Poppins' hands, "Und I just didn't know what to do and so I just came here. I thought if I'm lucky Ellen isn't too busy but to meet you _both_ is...a miracle."

She quickly took a sip, "Oh, I don't know what to say. It's all so sudden and I just wasn't prepared. Which doesn't mean that I don't _want_ -I'm just so..."

Mary Poppins blinked, "Confused?"

But Jane shook her head, put the glass onto the kitchen counter and suddenly took Mary Poppins' hands.

"Happy.", Jane said and the broad grin on her face couldn't tell something different.

Mary Poppins only stared onto her hands in Jane's. Then she looked up and her lips formed to a surprised 'oh'.

"Jack...?"

Jane nodded fiercely and Ellen stood beside them without having a clue, "_What_ is going on with Jack?"

Jane looked up to the housekeeper and smiled, her eyes slowly watering, "He proposed."

Ellen's face brightened up and a smile crept onto her lips, "Oh, Jane! How wonderful."

Jane nodded and let go of Mary Poppins' hands, "And _how_ it is."

Ellen sat down onto another chair, "So? What did you say?"

Jane averted her eyes, "No-" -Ellen whimpered in shock and Mary Poppins' eyes widened- "Well, yes, well..."

Jane shook her head and took another sip of her water, "I was just so..."

"Confused?", Mary Poppins asked and Jane nodded.

"You see, I wasn't prepared at all. I'd just returned from the bathroom, we'd done the dishes together and then sat down in the salon and read.", Jane licked her dry lips, "Well, _I_ read. And then Jack suddenly said 'We should marry, don't you think?' But I was just so deeply in thoughts that I didn't really listen and I asked what he'd said and then he knelt down and..."

Jane sniffed slightly.

She lifted her right hand and held it so that Ellen and Mary Poppins could see the ring on her ring finger; a silver ring with a small, shimmering stone on it.

"It belonged to Jack's mother. It's the only thing he still has left from her belongings..."

Mary Poppins let out a small, happy sigh, "Congratulations, Jane. It's taken long enough."

Ellen nodded in agreement, "Certainly. I'd expected this conversation years ago."

Jane averted her eyes, "I'm feeling as though everything happens so fast. It feels as if we'd just moved together and now we're engaged-"

A sob fled from her lips and she pressed the ringed hand on her mouth.

Mary Poppins and Ellen looked at each other in worry, "What is it?"

Jane only shook her head and waited for herself to calm down.

"It's just...", she began and smiled, her voice heavy with tears, "I've never said it aloud and only now...now it's getting real."

And by all sudden, Jane jumped up from her chair and fell into Mary Poppins' arms.

"Oh, Mary Poppins, I'm so glad that you're here. The whole time I had this weird feeling of Jack...planning something. But it seemed as though he didn't dare to. And then, the day you returned, he was home so late and he was all secretively and I'm sure he picked up the ring back then and-", another sob erupted from her throat and she pulled herself closer into Mary Poppins' arms, "If it wasn't for _you_, he'd never have found the courage."

She let go of the nanny, sank down onto her chair and took a sip of her water.

Mary Poppins had both eyebrows raised, "I'm glad to have been an..._inspiration_."

She smiled slightly and sat down.

Ellen put a hand onto Jane's, "I'm happy for you two, Jane. You've waited so long for the right one to come."

Her eyes laid on Mary Poppins.

"I'd really like to know what it is about you.", she said.

Mary Poppins blinked, "What should it be about me?"

Ellen tilted her head, "Men."

"Good heaven's, no.", the nanny exclaimed and sat up straight.

Jane knit her brows together, "Why not?"

Mary Poppins shook her head.

Then she sighed slightly, "My job can't be done with something like that. No one would hire a nanny with man and children."

Ellen's face brightened up a little bit, "So there do is someone?"

But Mary Poppins shook her head once again, "There _was _someone. A long time ago."

Jane cocked her head.

She eyed Mary Poppins for a moment, "Did you were a couple? Engaged?"

Mary Poppins gave the two women a smile. It was a sad smile, full of pain, "Neither. He never knew -that he was _that_ important to me. Let's say I've wasted my chance."

She lowered her gaze for a short second and then looked Jane straight into the eyes, "Not once again have I felt like that for a man. It was short-lived what I felt for him. I could never have made him happy -_he _could never have made me happy. It simply shouldn't be. I'd made a mistake, I'm over it since a long time ago."

Ellen and Jane looked equally sad but Mary Poppins seemed to take control quickly and a smile crept onto her lips, "You shouldn't dwell on the past. What has happened, has happened."

She stood up and turned to the sink to clean the other plates.

Jane cleared her throat, "I-I think I'll make my way home. I'm sure I'm already missed."

She stood up, "Goodbye."

And with that she disappeared through the back door into the garden.

The children took the opportunity to slip back into the house.

"Why was Auntie Jane here?", Georgie asked curiously.

Mary Poppins put her hands on her hips, "I thought I'd been quite clear."

Ellen knit her brows together.

The nanny acted completely different from just seconda ago.

"Jane had to talk to us.", Ellen explained with a side look at Mary Poppins and waved at the children to go outside again.

She couldn't quite get rid of the feeling that the Mary Poppins that had told them of her past love was not the Mary Poppins the children caught sight of quite often.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

_But I don't want it._

_No, I _can't_ want it anymore._

_~Defying Gravity, WICKED**, Idina Menzel**_


End file.
